P A R T
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PART
USA CYCLING RACE OFFICIALS MANUAL
Officiating Track Events
Lead Author:
Marilyn Allen
Developmental Editor:
Shawn Farrell
Production Director:
Marc Langille
Copy Editors:
Kinnin Payson, Phil Miller
and Marc Langille
Contributing Authors:
Noreen Landis Tyson
Andy McCord
Randy Shafer
Carla Geyer
Kinnin Payson
Andy Taus
Shawn Farrell
© Copyright 2005 by USA Cycling, Inc. All rights reserved.
This document may be reproduced for educational purposes only.
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
ii
XVII. Flying Start Time Trial
38
I. Introduction
1
Basic Rules and Procedures
38
Track Markings
1-3
Officials' Duties
Materials and Officials needed for track events
3-4
XVIII. Questions/Case Studies
40
XIX. Answers toQuestions/Case Studies
41
XX. Scratch Race
42
Basic Rules and Procedures
42
Pre-race considerations (Chief Referee)
Race Secretary
II. Kilometer Time Trial
4
4-6
7
38-39
Basic Rules and Procedures
7-8
Officials' Duties
42-43
Oficials' Duties
8-9
XXI. Questions/Case Studies - Scratch Race
44
III. Questions/Case Studies - Kilometer
10
XXII. Answers toQuestions/Case Studies
45
IV. Answers to Questions/Case Studies
11
XXIII. Miss and Out
46
V. Individual Pursuit
12
Basic Rules and Procedures
46
Basic Rules and Procedures
12-14
Officials' Duties
46-47
Oficials' Duties
14-16
XXIV. Questions/Case Studies - Miss and Out
48
VI. Questions/Case Studies - Pursuit
17
XXV. Answers to Questions/Case Studies
49
VII. Answers to Questions/Case Studies
18
XXVI. Points Race
50
VIII. Team Pursuit
19
Basic Rules and Procedures
50
Basic Rules and Procedures
19-20
Officials' Duties
51-55
Officials' Duties
20-21
XXVII. Questions/Case Studies - Points Race
56
IX. Questions/Case Studies - Team Pursuit
22
XXVIII. Answers to Questions/Case Studies
57
X. Answers to Questions/Case Studies
23
XXIX. Madison
58
XI. Team Sprint
24
Basic Rules and Procedures
58
Basic Rules and Procedures
24
Officials' Duties
59
XXX. Questions/Case Studies - Madison
60
Officials' Duties
25-26
XII. Questions/Case Studies - Team Sprint
27
XXXI. Answers to Questions/Case Studies
61
XIII. Answers to Questions/Case Studies
28
XXXII. Keirin
62
XIV. Sprint
29
Basic Rules and Procedures
62
Official's Duties
Officials' Duties
29-35
63-64
XV. Questions/Case Studies - Sprint
36
XXXIII. Questions/Case Studies - Keirin
65
XVI. Answers toQuestions/Case Studies
37
XXXIV. Answers to Questions/Case Studies
66
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Chapter
I. Introduction
T
rack racing is an exciting branch of the sport, which draws paying spectators. Because of this, it is especially important to
maintain your professional demeanor. The importance of quick and accurate results, firm decisions, and "presence" cannot be
overemphasized
The rules in the USCF rulebook are primarily for championship events. The ordinary spectator-oriented track race is not necessarily run
in that fashion. It is not necessary, for example to require an exhibition sprint tournament go through all of the heats and repechages of
a championship.
There are two kinds of people at the velodrome: workers and those who are watching. Workers include the organizer's staff, officials,
announcer, riders, coaches, and concessionaires. These people may be in the infield or outside the track. Those who are not working
are not permitted in the infield unless there is special spectator seating provided for this purpose.
The organizer is responsible for maintaining control over access to the infield. Controlling access in a safe and controlled manner is
very important – it keeps unauthorized people separate from those who are working.
A.
Track Markings
There are a number of different types of tracks or velodromes. They can vary in length, width and in the material used in their
construction. However, the markings on the track will be consistent.
There are two types of markings:
1. Markings placed circumferentially around the track
2. Markings placed perpendicular to the inner edge of the track.
Note: All of the lines painted on the track should be a uniform width of 4-6 cm.
Circumferential Markings
Measurement line
The measurement line is also known as the gauge line. The line placement is the inner edge 20 cm from the inner edge of the track,
generally from the transition. The official length of the track is measured on the inner edge of this line.
If the track is light in color (cement) the markings will be black, if the track is dark (asphalt) the line will be white. This allows the marking
to contrast with the track surface. The measurement line is also marked every five meters and numbered every 10 meters. This
numbering of the track goes counterclockwise from the finish line. This provides a countdown of the distance to the finish line.
Sprinters line
This marking is placed with its outer edge 90 cm from the inner edge of the track, which places it 70 cm above the measurement line. It
is painted red in color.
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Blue Band
Occasionally referred to as the Cote d' Azure, it is placed below the inner edge of the track. This band is a minimum of 20 cm in width.
Obviously, it is painted blue! This line is not considered part of the track. - it is below the measurement line, which determines the length
of the track. The blue band is not considered "rideable": competition should not occur on or below this line. The only exception to this
might be to use the blue band during the start of handicap events on more steeply banked tracks.
Stayers line
While not required in the USCF rules, it is found on many tracks. Consequently, we will discuss its location and recommended color as
defined by the UCI.
The stayers line is placed above the sprinters line. It should be located one third of the distance from the inner edge of the track to the
outer track edge. In other words, if the track is 6 meters wide, then the stayers line would be placed 2 meters from the inner edge of the
track. It should be painted blue.
Perpendicular Markings
Finish line
The finish line is generally placed near the end of a straightaway. It is black in color and is located in the middle of a 72 cm strip of white
to allow for good contrast.
200-Meter line
This marking is placed 200-meters before the finish line, extending from the inside of the track to the outer edge. With a standard
333.33-meter track, it is generally located near the exit of the second turn. The location will vary depending on the length of the track.
With a smaller track, it could be in the middle of the banking between turns one and two. On a larger track, it could be located closer to
turn three. It is painted black on light tracks or white on dark tracks. This 200-meter line is used only for timing sprints.
Pursuit lines
There are two pursuit finish lines. On tracks, where the pursuit is run over an even number of laps, they are located exactly in the
middle of the two straight-aways and extend from the inner edge halfway across the track. They should be directly opposite each other.
If you positioned yourself in front of one pursuit line, outside the track, and looked across the track the two lines should be in line with
each other.
On tracks where the pursuit is not run over an even number of laps (i.e. the track is 285 meters so the race is not run over an integral
number of laps), the start and finish lines may not be located in the same place. In this case, the start lines would be staggered but the
finish lines should still be located in the middle of the straight-aways.
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The diagram below shows the track markings. The referee’s podium is not found on many tracks, especially in that location
B.
Materials Needed for Track Events
The following table can be used as a checklist of the materials you will need to run each kind of track event. These include materials
above and beyond the usual track markings.
Equipment needed for track events
Equipment
Sprint
Sponges
no
Lap Cards/bell
1 set
Flags (red/green)
no
Time Trial
yes
1 or 2 sets*
no
Pursuit
yes
2 sets*
yes
Massed Start
no
1 set
no
* one set of lap cards and bell is needed on each side of the track for a pursuit. The same is true for time trials if they are being run as
two-ups.
C.
Officials Needed for Track Events
The table below shows the different officials needed for each of the various track events. This for the ideal situation and should be used
as a guideline for assigning officials. In addition, the following considerations should be noted:
In a miss and out, only one judge should be used, since the call has to be made quickly and without discussion.
In sprints, the riders provide their own holders
In team pursuit, there should be an official holder for each team member. If this is not possible, then an official should hold the inside
rider on each team if starting blocks are not being used. Either officials or staff personnel can hold the other riders.
In massed start events, riders will either have a rolling start or start from a position on the wall.
In handicap races, riders will provide their own holders.
In a pursuit, the holders usually double as the lap card/bell official, and a timer often holds the flag.
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Officials Needed for Track Events
Officials
Starter
Judge/Timer
Holders
Lap/Bell
Referees
Sprint
1
2
1
5
Time Trial
1*
2*
1*
1*
2
Pursuit
2
4
2
2
2
Massed Start
1
3
1
4
*
This assumes a one-up format. For two-ups, this would be the same as a pursuit.
D.
Pre-Race Considerations for Chief Referees
Make sure that a proper judge's stand is provided. It should be elevated and large enough to be comfortable for working.
A starter's platform should also be provided if pursuit events are to be run. It should be located in the center of the infield, be elevated,
and be large enough to be comfortable while working.
Develop a rapport with the announcer. Check on the communication system between your Chief Judge and the announcer's secretary.
The announcer should be encouraged to announce the race, but discouraged from making any calls on his own or passing judgments
on any calls that are made by the Chief Referee or Chief Judge.
Establish a good working relationship with the Electronic Timing Operator. Here is a list of questions that might make you more familiar
with the system and the operator more familiar with your needs:
----------
Is the operator comfortable with the system?
How many tape switches are used? What about manual switches? Are there any spares?
Do the tape switches go all of the way up the track? Do they go about a foot onto the apron? If they cannot go onto the apron,
place a sponge just before the switch to force the rider to ride over the switch.
Is there a master clock? Who starts the clock? Who has the official time of day?
Does the operator need an assistant? If so, can the organizer provide staff for this function?
Is there a display board? If there is any kind of failure, tell the operator to kill the display board to avoid confusion.
Does the system provide a printout of times? If so, establish who will receive this printout. In any case, ensure someone to
record times from the display board for backup.
Can the system sort the times?
What will the operator do in case of equipment failures? Make sure you know what you will do.
How thorough you are in your questioning will be based in part on your experience and that of the operator.
Make sure that the judges are checking the electronic results against the manual times and resolving any discrepancies.
E.
Race Secretary
During a national championship, a Secretary to the Panel (otherwise known as the Race Secretary) will be handling the flow of
paperwork. This includes the start lists, results and communiqués from the panel of officials that are created during the event. The
Secretary works side-by-side with the timing and result’s company and ensures that all necessary documents are produced, the
information is accurate and complete, and the paper reaches those who need the information. This is not a position for an official who
wants to be a spectator; however, the race secretary plays an integral part in the smooth-running of the event, and must be extremely
well-organized and willing to work long hours, often arriving at the velodrome several hours before the day’s events begin and leaving
several hours after the day’s events end. Make sure that you are prepared to undertake this assignment, as the position requires
stamina and is one of great responsibility.
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Qualifications and Responsibilities
The Secretary should be an official who has extensive track officiating experience and knows the rules for each championship event,
including how riders are seeded in each event and how they move through rounds (if applicable). If these events are not clear to you,
check the USCF rulebook and make notes prior to traveling to the championship. In national championship events, USA Cycling staff
will have engaged the services of a qualified timing and results company who will make use of results software that moves riders
through various rounds in each event. However, it is the Secretary’s responsibility to be sure that results are accurate (in partnership
with the Chief Judge), start lists for the next round are correct and all start lists and results are distributed quickly and reach the right
people. The ability to multi-task is necessary!
The Secretary needs to be extremely organized and able to anticipate the needs of other officials, the announcer, the timing and
results company, coaches, riders, volunteers, media and sponsors, to allow the event to flow smoothly and stay on schedule.
The Secretary’s basic responsibility to the championship is to produce all the necessary paperwork to keep the event going. The
following are the activities that are the responsibility of the Secretary:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Participate in the registration process and work with the timing and results company to ensure that the database of
participants is complete and accurate, including the events in which each rider will participate, the rider number assigned, and
all information pertaining to each participant is complete. The Secretary should ensure that an initial list of riders is printed for
the announcer and media. An updated list will be printed as necessary and near the end of the competition, and should be
included in the final “book” for the event.
Issues communiqués on behalf of the panel of officials needed for the smooth conduct of the competition.
Work with the Chief Referee to seed the riders in each event to be conducted. Be sure to come to the event with results from
any previous competitions– this can be used to establish the current event seeding. This might take some digging.
Work with the timing/results company to establish and distribute start sheets for each round of each event.
Work with the Chief Judge and timing/results company to establish and distribute accurate results for each round of an event.
Maintain a record of all start sheets, results and communications from the officials panel issued before, during and after the
competition, each with a unique communiqué number; maintain a list of each communiqué issued in numerical order and
include this list in the final “book” for the event.
As the Secretary works closely with the Chief Judge and the timing and results company, the Secretary’s work location should be
situated near both, or have a method of reliable communication. Prior to the start of the event, the Secretary should establish a paper
handling system so that volunteers can assist with the timely distribution of results and start sheets; otherwise, the Secretary may find
himself handling the paper distribution on his own.
If the organizer has planned for one, the Secretary will be giving results to a press liaison that should be able to generate copies for the
media. If not, be prepared to have extra copies for any reporter that asks for them.
Supplies Necessary for the Secretary
As a Secretary you will be operating a portable office within the confines of the velodrome; therefore it is important that you contact the
Chief Referee as early as possible to let him/her know what equipment you require to operate efficiently. Allow the Chief Referee to
make the necessary arrangements with the organizer.
The Secretary’s "office" should be set up trackside to be available to the results and timing company and Chief Judge at all times. This
can sometimes be difficult due to weather problems (i.e. rain, heat, humidity, etc.), but a tent can be erected to mitigate these problems.
If a trackside area is not convenient, ask the organizer to provide you with a place that is close to the outside of the track with easy
access to the infield.
The Secretary needs access to a reliable copier and plenty of paper. This should be available as close as possible to the Secretary’s
location and ideally should be out of the weather in a cool, dry area. If the Secretary’s location is inside the track and the copier is
outside, make sure that there are volunteers available to do the copying needed to keep the event running smoothly.
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Ask for several runners to help distribute and post any necessary information. These people should be prepared to work long hours.
Arrange a schedule with them and rotate their time with you. Ask the organizer for several places to post results, heats, and start
sheets. There should be at least one location in the infield close to the riders, and perhaps another posting spot available to the public
outside the infield. Other helpful sites include an area for the press and one at the championship hotel. In any case, be prepared to
have several kinds of tape, a stapler, or tacks to attach the paperwork to the posting boards.
What to Bring
As mentioned before, the Secretary operates a portable office within the velodrome, so you should consider all items needed to be
organized. Stock up on these items before arriving at the competition as once the event begins, you may not have time to purchase
anything forgotten.
Some of these items are typical race supplies such as notepads, pencils, and pens. Be sure to include a stapler with plenty of staples,
magic markers, highlighters, tacks or pushpins, whiteout, a ruler, a 3-hole punch, rubber bands, masking tape, and a clipboard. Prior to
traveling to the event, the Secretary should also decide how he/she will organize the originals of each communiqué (file box, 3-ring
binder or some other system) and come prepared with the supplies needed to implement that system. Remember that you might be
working out in the wind so be sure that, whatever system you choose, you will be able to successfully implement it regardless of the
weather.
Distribution of Paperwork
It is vitally important that you discuss the distribution of paperwork with the Chief Referee and organizer before the event begins, as
they will have specific people that need results. Before each session begins, you need to make sure that each official, the announcer,
the whip and the results/timing company operator are supplied with the schedule and all the start sheets necessary for that session.
This information should also be posted at all the required locations so that everyone is informed of any changes that may have been
made in the previous session.
Be sure that results are reviewed by the Chief Judge before copies are made, and it’s a good idea to double-check start sheets for the
next round, if applicable, with the Chief Judge to be sure that they are accurate before distribution. After the copies have been made,
arrange with the runner on how the paperwork should be distributed. The runner should have a list of the personnel that includes the
officials, announcer, whip, press liaison and the posting areas. Depending on the event and how soon the riders need to be called to
the line, the order of distribution may be rearranged to accommodate everyone.
Final Results
At the completion of the event, the Secretary must ensure that all who need them receive copies of all communiqués issued for the
event. Often, the timing/results company will help you by providing copies of these communiqués on CD; at a minimum, a CD should
be made for the Chief Referee, Chief Judge, USA Cycling Representatives, and the organizer. One or more of these people may also
ask for a paper copy of the communiqués, which are easily made from your master book. As the Secretary, be sure to keep a copy of
all communiqués in case they are needed after the event has concluded. If time and paper allows, you may make copies of the results
for others. Your final duty is to put the results in the hands of each of the people noted above; this should be done before leaving the
velodrome at the completion of the last session, if possible.
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Chapter
II.
Kilometer Time Trial
A.
Basic Rules and Procedures
Riders compete two at a time. If a session is stopped because of bad weather, all riders in the class/category that was interrupted must
ride in a subsequent session. This event is one ride for the fastest time, and the medal. Consequently, all riders should compete under
the same conditions and must compete in the same session.
Timing
The Kilometer should be timed to the thousandth of a second. It is unrealistic to expect every track to have electronic timing so it is
possible the Kilometer will be run at the local level with just hand timing.
Starts
•
•
The riders are held at the start either by starting blocks or by an official, and are neither restrained nor pushed.
Each rider starts in the middle of the sprinter’s lane with the bicycle parallel to the
measurement line.
Procedures vary depending on the technology being used.
The most common
unrecognized mishap is a
rider pulling his foot out of
the pedal at the start.
Manual Timing
•
•
•
•
The bicycle is set so that the leading edge of the front wheel is directly over the start line.
Once the rider or riders are ready, officials raise a flag.
The riders are then given the start commands, usually, “backstraight ready, homestraight ready, the gun is up, riders ready”.
The starter then gives the start.
Electronic Timing without Starting Blocks
•
•
•
•
The bicycle is set so that the front wheel contacts the track about 10 cm behind the start line. This spot is usually marked on
the track for consistency.
Once the rider or riders are ready, officials raise a flag.
The countdown clocks are then initiated, usually with 15 seconds to go.
The start countdown may be stopped by the starter under certain circumstances, such as a mechanical problem that arises
after the countdown begins.
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Electronic Timing with Starting Blocks
•
•
•
•
The starting blocks are positioned in the same place for every rider. The track is marked so that the blocks can be moved
quickly onto the track once the previous ride is over.
The location of the start blocks should put most of the bicycles in a position where the front wheel contacts the track about 10
cm behind the start line.
Once the bicycle is locked into the starting blocks, the rider has 50 seconds before the start.
The start countdown may be stopped by the starter under certain circumstances, such as a mechanical problem that
arises after the countdown begins.
Restarts
B.
•
•
In the case of a false start or unrecognized mishap, such as a pulled foot, the rider shall restart immediately.
•
A rider is permitted only one restart
In the case of a recognized mishap, such as a puncture, broken chain, or crash, the rider starts again at the end of the
session or within ten minutes of his original start.
Referees
Sponges are placed on the blue band; riders who ride below the sponges are disqualified. You need to report any rider who goes below
the sponges to the Chief Referee.
Riders who ride over the sponges are not penalized. Their "penalty" is the minimal loss of speed and perhaps even more, their loss of
concentration from their encounter with the sponges.
Referees positioned in the corners of the track are responsible for replacing the sponges as they are hit. Replace those sponges that fly
up onto the track first - they are placed back on the blue band.
C.
Chief Timer
It is the responsibility of the Chief Timer to instruct the Assistant Timers of their responsibilities, which should include back-up timing for
the electronic system for each lap, recording the electronic time from the display board, and verbally noting any discrepancies to the
Chief Timer.
It is the responsibility of the Chief Timer to settle discrepancies in timing and to establish an official time and placing for each rider.
Use the automatic timing as long as it appears to be working well. If the automatic timing does not work for one or a few riders, use an
Electronic Equivalent Time for those riders. This is done by adjusting the hand time for those riders to the average discrepancy between
the hand and electronic times; this new time becomes official.
D.
Starter
The role of the starter depends on the technology available. There may be electronically operated timing and starting blocks, manual
timing and holders, or some combination.
Manual Starts with Holders
The start is similar to a pursuit and all other timed events. The Starter must judge the validity of the start and control the flow.
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The Starter, who is positioned in the middle of the infield, will also indicate to the holders if any of the riders is lined up incorrectly.
One of the main goals is to keep the event moving. Without a countdown clock and starting blocks, this is done by having the starter
and the referees on each side hustling he riders into position and not letting them take too much time to prepare. If the starter feels that
a rider is taking too much time, he should blow the whistle and point to the offending side and give a “move it along” gesture. The
referee on that side can then tell the rider to get ready. In a worst case scenario, the starter can indicate to the referee to raise the flag.
The Starter will call a false start if any rider moves before the gun or if the rider is pushed or restrained in any way. This is always a
judgment call.
Championship Kilometer
In Championship events, starting blocks will hold the riders on the two sides of the tracks. The starter controls the flow of the event by
starting a count down clock once both riders’ bikes are locked into the starting blocks. Once the countdown begins, it is not stopped
without a valid reason, such as a problem with the rider’s bike or the starting blocks themselves.
False starts are rare with this system, although they are possible. The Starter will call a false start if a rider rips out of the blocks before
the countdown clock indicates the start or if the starting blocks fail to release the rider.
E.
Chief Referee
The order of start for the event, or seeding, will be done by order of the slowest riders to the fastest riders.
Use the same Holders for all of the riders. You may switch Holders when there is a change in category. Since this often becomes a big
commitment in time, make sure you choose someone who has a lot of stamina for this type of assignment. For a Master’s National
Championship, there may be 8 hours of kilometer starts.
Position the bicycle so that the bottom of the wheel contacts the track about 10 cm behind the line and 50 cm above the bottom edge of
the track. Mark the track at these points as well as a contact point for the back wheel, which is also 50 cm above the bottom edge of the
track. These markings ensure that each bicycle is started in the same manner. If hand timing is used, the leading edge of the front
wheel should be directly over the line.
Instruct the referees to grab the bicycles of any rider who stops with an apparent mishap, to verify its legitimacy. The restart rules are
slightly different for a recognized mishap than for an unrecognized one.
Weather must be given some consideration, since this event must be entirely rerun if a session is stopped due to bad weather. It is
important for you to understand the differences between a delay and a stoppage of a session. With a stoppage, the riders are sent
home and told to return at a specified time. Under these circumstances, the event would be entirely rerun. If there is a delay, while you
wait for the weather to clear, the earlier rides stand.
Quick Fact Check
1. When starting blocks are used, how much time does a rider normally have once the bike is locked
in?
2. What happens in the case of an unrecognized mishap?
3. How many starts may a rider have during a kilometer competition?
4. What time does a rider receive if the electronic timing fails during his ride?
5. Why should a kilometer session not be called due to weather unless absolutely necessary?
1. 50 seconds 2. the rider must restart immediately 3. Two at the most 4. an electronic equivalent time 5. because all of the riders who
have already competed will have to ride again in the next session.
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Chapter
III. Questions/Case Studies - Kilometer
1. A rider has a puncture at the start line before his start.
_____________
_____________
_____________
2. A rider pulls his foot out of the clip at the start.
_____________
_____________
_____________
3. A rider hits a sponge during the kilo ride.
_____________
_____________
_____________
4. A rider goes below a sponge during the kilo ride.
_____________
_____________
_____________
5. A rider has a puncture with 100 meters to go and crosses the finish line.
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IV. Answers to Questions/Case Studies - Kilometer
1. A rider has a puncture at the start line before his start. For a legitimate mishap, the rider will start when possible, but generally within
10 minutes.
2. A rider pulls his foot out of the clip at the start. This is an unrecognized mishap, so the rider must restart immediately.
3. A rider hits a sponge during the kilo ride. A rider who hits a sponge has penalized himself as it slows the rider down significantly. No
further penalty should be applied.
4. A rider goes below a sponge during the kilo ride. If a rider goes completely below a sponge, the penalty is disqualification.
5. A rider has a puncture with 100 meters to go and crosses the finish line. The rider must decide if he wants to use the time recorded
or to try again. If he tries again, it will be his second time that counts, even if it is slower than the first attempt.
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Chapter
V. Individual Pursuit
A.
Basic Rules and Procedures
The individual pursuit is a race between competitors who start on opposite sides of the track. The race continues until one rider catches
another or the specified distance is covered. The rider who catches the other, draws even with, or covers the distance in the shortest
time is the winner.
Elite riders ride a 4000-meter pursuit while junior men, senior women, and master men under 50 ride a 3000-meter pursuit. Junior
women and master women ride 2000 meters.
Pursuit Rounds
There are two rounds to the pursuit, each with specific rules. These are the qualifying round and the finals.
Qualifying Round
The qualifying round is a time trial. All riders complete the distance in order to establish their qualifying time, even if they are caught.
Riders are matched slow with slow and fast with fast in an attempt to avoid having a rider get caught. The fastest pairings start last.
A rider who suffers a mishap after the first half lap rides at the end, either alone or with another rider who has suffered a mishap. The
rider who has not suffered a mishap continues for a time. Any mishap in the first half lap is cause for a restart.
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Finals
The fastest two riders from the qualifying round will ride for first and second. The third and fourth fastest riders from the qualifying ride
will ride the final for third and fourth.
The rider in each pairing with the higher seed finishes on the homestraight.
Timing
Pursuit timing is to the hundredth of a second. It is unrealistic to expect every track to have electronic timing so it is possible the pursuit
will be run at the local level with just hand timing to tenths of seconds. Each rider is timed every half lap.
Starts
•
•
The riders are held at the start either by starting blocks or by an official, and are neither restrained nor pushed.
Each rider starts in the middle of the sprinter’s lane with the bicycle parallel to the measurement line.
Procedures vary depending on the technology being used.
Manual Timing
•
•
•
The bicycle is set so that the leading edge of the front wheel is directly over the start line.
•
The starter then gives the start.
Once the riders are ready, the referees on their sides raise a flag.
Once the flags are up, the countdown commands are given. This is usually done by the announcer, who will say,
“backstraight ready, homestraight ready, the gun is up, riders ready”
Electronic Timing without Starting Blocks
•
•
•
•
The bicycle is set so that the front wheel contacts the track about 10 cm behind the start line. This spot is usually marked on
the track for consistency.
Once both riders are ready, the referees raise their flags.
The countdown clock is then started, usually with 15 seconds to go.
The start countdown may be stopped by the starter under certain circumstances, such as a mechanical problem that arises
after the countdown begins.
Electronic Timing with Starting Blocks
•
•
•
•
The starting blocks are positioned in the same place for every rider. The track is marked so that the blocks can be moved
quickly onto the track once the previous ride is over.
The location of the start blocks should put most of the bicycles in a position where the front wheel contacts the track about 10
cm behind the start line.
Once the bicycle is locked into the starting blocks, the rider has 50 seconds before the start.
The start countdown may be stopped by the starter under certain circumstances, such as a mechanical problem that
arises after the countdown begins.
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Restarts
•
•
A rider is permitted a maximum of two starts in each round (i.e, one restart).
Restarts are handled differently depending on when they occur:
o In the qualifying round: the race will be stopped only for a mishap
(recognized or unrecognized) in the first half lap.
o
In the final:
ƒ
ƒ
B.
Do you know how to
calculate the start
positions for a
restart?
if a mishap occurs in the first half lap, the race is stopped and
restarted immediately. After the first half lap and before the last
kilometer, the race will be stopped and restarted with both riders positioned relative to the last halflap lines they crossed.
In the last kilometer: the race will be stopped only in the case of a recognized mishap and the times
at the last half lap are used to determine the winner.
Referees
The responsibilities are very similar to the Kilometer. Replace sponges as necessary being extremely careful to face the direction of the
riders. Look before approaching the track surface. If a rider comes off the track with an apparent mishap, the referees should get to the
bike and check to see what was wrong with it. Something must be wrong with it to qualify as any kind of a mishap. Whether or not it is a
recognized mishap or an unrecognized mishap will be important in the latter part of the finals.
Each rider may have only one coach on the apron at the trackside. These coaches should be located in the straight-aways, not in the
turns. There may be many people cheering a particular rider on, and they are welcome to be in the infield doing so. However, there can
be only one person manning the stop watch for that rider who is out on the apron. Note that is not one coach per side of the track, but
one total. You may have to pay attention to the other side of the track to be aware that a rider has two coaches.
When this situation is detected, simply inform the coach that only one is allowed and that one of them will have to move off of the apron.
If the coaches do not comply, inform the Chief Referee.
C.
Laps and Bell
The Scorers responsible for counting laps and ringing the bell do the "pursuit dance", which goes like this: At the start, they show the
riders the number of laps to go (12 laps for a 4000-meter pursuit on a 333.33-meter track). As their rider starts, they turn the cards
around slowly, following the rider around the track. This shows the lap cards to spectators, officials, and the announcer. As their rider
nears his half lap, they will be facing each other, so they will be confirming the lap count with each other. As their rider crosses the half
lap line, they change to 11 to go and again follow their rider around the track until they are showing it to him as he crosses the line. In
this way, the rider will not be seeing a lap card when he is on the opposite side, at least not unless he is close to catching his opponent.
For races where there is not an integral number of laps to ride, the rider will finish on the opposite side from where he started. In that
case, you show the lap cards to the rider who finishes on your side, not the one that started on your side.
The Starter and Assistant Starter should also be doing a lap count and watching the lap cards when they are turned toward the center
of the track. The Lap Card Scorers are comparing notes with each other and with the Timers. With this system, it is nearly impossible
for the lap count to be wrong. If one of the Lap Card Scorers does not agree with the number the other is showing, a check can be done
immediately.
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Timers and Chief Timer
The watches start on the flash or puff of smoke from the gun. It is essential to take split times every half lap for each rider because of
the restart procedures used for a mishap. The method most widely used is to time one particular rider for the entire event, with half lap
splits taken on the opposite side of the track. Determine in advance the system to be used - then be consistent.
Utilizing standardized timing forms will aid in keeping track of the half lap times and the number of laps remaining. If the pursuit is for
juniors or women, be sure to cross out the laps that do not apply. The timers must be in communication with the officials in charge of
the laps and bell. It is far too easy to give the wrong lap card to a rider, especially after a long day in the sun. Communicating often and
confirming lap counts will help to avoid a serious mistake.
E.
Chief Referee
The order of start, or pairings, is the responsibility of the Chief Referee. Start order depends on whether the event is a championship or
non-championship pursuit. Only championship events need follow the various rounds as outlined in the rulebook. For local events, the
pursuit may be more of a time trial, with a single round to determine the winners.
If electronic timing is used, position the bicycle so the front wheel contacts the track about 10 cm behind the line (refer to the kilometer
instructions).
If hand timing is used, the leading edge of the front wheel should be directly over the line. The bicycle should be parallel to the track
edge about 50 cm above the bottom of the track. All bikes must start from the same position.
Instruct your Referees around the track that each rider may have only one coach on the apron at trackside. Normally the coach will be
on the side the rider finishes. They should be instructed on how to handle the situation if there is more than one coach. Usually you
would handle the situation if a coach refuses to obey the assistant referee. Ultimately the riders can be penalized for the misbehavior of
their coaches, so this situation is easily controllable, although there are always coaches who will push the envelope to the limit until you
take action.
The Chief Referee is usually the Assistant Starter.
F.
Starter
Starting the race.
The starting procedure needs to be well coordinated with the announcer. It should follow this routine:
----
The Starter/Assistant Starter watch the Assistant Referees on both sides of the track. The Referees raise a flag (or hand)
when the rider’s bicycle is locked into the starting block.
When both sides are ready, the Starter begins the 50-second countdown.
Once the countdown begins, nothing except a problem to the starting block or bicycle should stop it.
If the event is not using starting blocks, then the start procedure should be communicated to everyone. Normally, the riders would tell
the referees on their side that they are ready. When both riders are ready, the countdown clock is started, usually with 15 seconds to
go.
If there is no countdown clock, then once the riders are ready, the announcer will give the commands, “backstraight ready, homestraight
ready, the gun is up, riders ready”, and then the starter gives the start.
False starts must be called within the first 30 meters. Examples: either rider moves forward before the gun is fired, or if either rider is
pushed. In the case of starting blocks, a malfunction to the block would also call for a false start. The Starter and the Assistant Starter,
who are standing back to back each holding the other’s hand, call false starts. A strong squeeze by the Assistant Starter will indicate a
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false start on the backstretch and the Starter will fire the gun. The Starter is responsible for the homestretch. It is not the responsibility
of the flag bearers to indicate false starts and they should not attempt to do so.
When no starting blocks or countdown clocks are used, the Starter and Assistant Starter must watch the starts very closely. A good
rider will usually anticipate and try to start in the margin between hearing a command, "Riders ready", and the sound of the gun. Since
the timing starts electronically when the gun fires, the timing starts before the rider hears the sound. Be sure the rider had crossed the
start line before the gun was fired. Do not penalize a rider for anticipating well. The rider will often stand up and be applying power
without having moved the wheel forward. Also, the fact that the holder’s hands trailed along with the rider’s saddle at the start does
mean the rider was pushed. Inexperienced holders will often do that, and the combination of an inexperienced holder with an
inexperienced starter can lead to many false starts being called.
Restart procedures are outlined at length in the USCF rulebook, and the Starter needs to understand them explicitly. There are certain
times that the Starter should not fire the gun for a restart. These times are:
----
At any time during the qualifying round except for the first half lap.
If a mishap occurs but the rider does not indicate that there is a problem and he continues. For example, a rider might want to
continue even if a spoke breaks.
If a rider suffers his second mishap of the round, he must continue as a rider can have only two starts in a given round.
Likewise, there are times when the race should be stopped:
------
When there is a false start.
When there is a mishap in the first half lap of any round.
When there is a mishap (recognized or not) in the final before the last kilometer.
When there is a recognized mishap in the final in the last kilometer
When one rider overtakes another in the final.
Mishaps and restarts are very rare, which is why the Starter must be very alert and understand the system very well. Only by starting
many pursuits will the procedure become truly ingrained.
Good Starters always brush up on the mishap and restart rules before every pursuit they do.
During the race
During the event, the Starter and Assistant Starter should watch their riders for the entire event. They
should do what is colloquially called the "pursuit dance." They turn around on the starter's platform as they
follow their riders. As their riders hit the finish line each lap, they tell each other how many laps remain for
their riders. This way they are always confirming the lap count.
If in doubt, do not
fire the gun. Once
the gun is fired,
you cannot take it
back.
At the Finish
When each rider finishes the distance, the Starter fires a single shot, usually after confirming with the assistant starter that his rider is
finishing.
Quick Fact Check
1. What classes ride a 3000 meter pursuit in championships?
2. What causes a restart the same way at all times in all rounds?
3. When does it matter if a mishap is recognized or not?
4. Can a rider have a coach on each side of the track for a pursuit?
5. If one rider catches another, is the race stopped?
1. Junior Men, Elite Women, Master men under 50. 2. a false start or a mishap in the first half lap. 3.
only in the last kilometer of the final. 4. No, a rider can have only one coach on the track. 5. Yes, if it is in
the finals.
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Chapter
VI. Questions/Case Studies - Pursuit
1. A rider marginally false starts, the Referee waves the flag to indicate a false start, but the Starter does not call it. After the ride, the
manager of the other rider files a protest.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
2. A rider is caught by another rider during the qualifying round.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
3. A rider is given the bell one lap too early.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
4. With two laps to go in the final for third and fourth places on a 333.33-meter track, the lead rider has an apparent mishap, raises his
hand and comes off the track. The Starter fires the gun stopping the race. The assistant referee reports that the rider’s wheel pulled
over and was scraping the chainstay.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
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Chapter
VII. Answers to Questions/Case Studies - Pursuit
1. A rider marginally false starts, the Referee waves the flag to indicate a false start, but the Starter does not call it. After the ride, the
manager of the other rider files a protest. First, you should instruct the Assistant Referee not to indicate a false start since this is the
responsibility of the Starter. If they do wave the flag and the Starter does not agree that it was a false start, then you have demonstrated
a disagreement publicly. This is the exact reason for not having the Assistant Referee wave the flag. It is the Starter's responsibility to
call false starts. Regardless, in the situation described, once the Starter has let the ride continue, there was no false start, and no action
can be considered.
2. A rider is caught during the qualifying round. Both riders must continue for time. The Chief Referee should watch to make sure that
no drafting occurs between the riders.
3. A rider is given the bell one lap early. This should not happen with the system described above, but if it occurs, first try to correct the
problem by having the announcer tell the rider that he has two laps to go. If this cannot be done and the rider quits when he gets to the
line, you may have to use his average speed to calculate a time for him. The later in the competition and the closer the times, the uglier
this will become.
4. With two laps to go in the final for third and fourth places on a 333.33-meter track, the lead rider has an apparent mishap, raises his
hand and comes off the track. The Starter fires the gun stopping the race. The assistant referee reports that the rider’s wheel pulled
over and was scraping the chainstay. This is the only time where the legitimacy of the mishap matters. Had the mishap been genuine,
the leading rider would have been declared the winner. Given that the mishap turned out to be invalid, the other rider is declared the
winner.
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Chapter
VIII. Team Pursuit
This section will primarily deal with differences between the team pursuit and individual pursuit.
A.
Basic Rules and Procedures
The team pursuit is a race between teams that start on opposite sides of the track. The race continues until one team catches another
or the specified distance is covered. The team that catches the other, draws even with, or covers the distance in the shortest time is the
winner.
The team pursuit is run over 4000 meters. The front wheel of the third rider is the time recorded the team.
Pursuit Rounds
There are two rounds to the team pursuit, each with specific rules. These are the qualifying round and the finals.
Qualifying Round
The qualifying round is a time trial, with one team on the track at a time.
Finals
The fastest two teams from the qualifying round ride for first and second. The third and fourth fastest teams from the qualifying ride will
ride the final for third and fourth.
The team in each pairing with the higher seed finishes on the homestraight.
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Timing
Team Pursuits are timed to the hundredth of a second, but even electronic timing is only accurate to tenths of seconds. Electronic
timing may be just a timer pushing the official button that stops the electronic timing. With so many wheels crossing the line, it is
impossible to have tape switches that actually record the third rider’s front wheel. Often, the first rider rolling over a tape switch
generates the split times shown on the scoreboard at a big race. However, as the official time is taken from the third rider, a photofinish
camera is used to get the exact time. Each team is timed every full lap.
Starts and Restarts
•
•
•
•
•
The riders are held at the start either by starting blocks or by an official, and are neither restrained nor pushed. When
starting blocks are used, it is the inside rider who is held by the blocks. The other three riders use holders.
Teams can choose to line up in one of two ways:
o All four riders on the start line with a meter between them, or
o Only the first rider on the start line and the others at a 45-degree angle back of the first rider with one meter
between them.
o Note that teams cannot choose a hybrid of these two systems where two riders are side by side and the next
two are angled back.
o The track is often marked for these two line up systems.
Once the inside bicycle is locked into the starting blocks, the riders have 50 seconds before the start.
A maximum of two starts per team per round is permitted.
Restarts are handled differently depending on when they occur:
o In the qualifying round, the race is stopped for a mishap (recognized or unrecognized) in the first half lap. After
the first half lap, a team may choose to stop if a rider has a recognized mishap. A team choosing to stop has
one lap to do so. If more than one rider has a mishap at any time, the team must stop and reride.
o
B.
In the final, if a mishap occurs in the first half lap, the race is restarted immediately. After the first half lap if any
rider has a mishap, the team must continue with three riders. If more than one rider has a mishap, the starter
will stop the race and the other team will be the winner.
Holders
It is best if all holders are officials, but this is unrealistic. If there are no starting blocks, then officials should be holders for the inside
riders. Race staff, not team managers, should be holders for the remaining riders.
NOTE: Holders stand behind the riders, not on the side.
C.
Timers
This is nearly the same as for the individual pursuit. Timers must always be on the apron side, never up on the track as they sometimes
are for individual pursuits.
Time is taken on the third rider of the team. With electronic timing, the computer is unable to sort out which impulse to the tape switch is
the front wheel of the third rider, so an official manually triggers the switch. Because a human finger is now triggering this electronic
timing, it will be no more accurate than the other timers using stopwatches. Spectators and even riders may not understand this. In a
close finish, they will assume that the time showing on the scoreboard is more accurate than what the other timers might have. In big
races, photofinish cameras are used to break close ties. Sometimes, the scoreboard is showing the time of the first rider hitting the tape
switch. It is important for the timers to understand how the electronic timing works.
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Splits are necessary at one-lap intervals for the purposes of breaking ties. However, it is normal to time them at half laps to provide
consistency with the procedure used in the individual pursuit.
D.
Chief Referee
The teams may position their bicycles on the track in either of two ways. These are described in the USCF rulebook and above under
“starts and restarts”. You should mark the track for the front wheel of each bicycle on the team for the two possible team positions.
Keep track of who starts for each team and be aware of when, during the team pursuit event, a team may substitute a rider (i.e.
between sessions).
Make sure the announcer does not announce any close finishes based on the results on the scoreboard. The word, “unofficial” is a
beautiful word that announcers should be familiar with.
E.
Starter
The rulebook states that no rider may move forward before the gun is fired. Normally false starts are usually only called for the bottom
rider, since this rider must lead the team into the first turn. Note: if any team member other than the one on the inside takes the lead
before the 30-meter mark, a false start shall be signaled.
In the qualifying round, if there is a mishap after the first half lap, the riders stop themselves, so there is no reason to fire the gun. The
Starter will stop the race after the first half lap only if a mishap occurs to a second rider of a team.
In the finals, the starter will stop the race if any rider has a mishap in the first half lap, a second rider has a mishap, or one team catches
another.
Quick Fact Check
1. What determines the time of a team?
2. Is electronic timing in a team pursuit more accurate than hand timing?
3. Can a team choose to line up at the start such that the first two riders are side by side and
the next two riders are angled at 45 degrees?
4. How many starts can a team have in a team pursuit?
5. If you have only two officials to act as holders, where should they be in the finals of a team
pursuit?
1. The third rider’s front wheel. 2. No, it is still a time input by a person pushing a button. 3. no 4. 2 in each round. 5. One
should hold the inside rider of each team.
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Chapter
IX. Questions/Case Studies - Team Pursuit
1. Why is a team pursuit timed at full laps and not at half laps?
_____________
_____________
_____
_____________________
2. In a qualifying round, one rider has a mishap. The team continues, but three laps later, they realize that they lost their strongest rider
and will not have a very good time, so they pull out.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
3. In a final ride of a championship event, one team has a large lead over the other team. The ride has entered the final kilometer. Two
riders on the leading team touch wheels and both crash. In the confusion, the Starter fails to shoot the gun. The ride finishes with the
two riders decisively beating the team with four riders.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
4. In the qualifying round, a team has an apparent mishap after the first half lap and stops. The course referees determine that the
mishap was not legitimate. What happens to the team?
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
5. In the final, Team A is about to catch Team B. The first two riders from Team A pull ahead of Team B's third rider, then move up the
track and drop back. The next Team A rider does the same. The Starter does not fire the double gunshot, and the manager from Team
A wants to know why.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
6. At the start, the third rider of a team starts very early
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Chapter
X. Answers to Questions/Case Studies - Team Pursuit
1. Why is a team pursuit timed at full laps and not at half laps? There are no restarts with teams where a half lap time is used to
determine starting position as there is in an individual pursuit, thus half lap information is unnecessary. Many timers do half lap splits
anyway out of habit, and team managers may appreciate having that information.
2. In a qualifying round, one rider has a mishap. The team continues, but three laps later, they realize that they lost their strongest rider
and will not have a very good time, so they pull out. The team has disqualified themselves. It is true that they have the option to
continue one man short, but this decision must be made within one lap of the mishap.
3. In a final ride of a championship event, one team has a large lead over the other team. The ride has entered the final kilometer. Two
riders on the leading team touch wheels and both crash. In the confusion, the Starter fails to shoot the gun. The ride finishes with the
two riders decisively beating the team with four riders. The team with four riders is declared the winner. Since the time is taken on the
front wheel of the third rider, the team with only two riders is not be given a time.
4. In the qualifying round, a team has an apparent mishap after the first half laqp and stops. The course referees determine that the
mishap was not legitimate. What happens to the team? Since the mishap was not legitimate, that rider cannot ride in the reride. Since
teams cannot substitute riders within a session, the team will start with three riders at the end of the qualifying round.
5. In the final, Team A is about to catch Team B. The first two riders from Team A pull ahead of Team B's third rider, then move up the
track and drop back. The next Team A rider does the same. The Starter does not fire the double gunshot, and the manager from Team
A wants to know why. A team is deemed to have caught their opponents when their third rider draws even with the third rider of the
caught team. In the situation here, the third rider was no longer the third rider when he drew even; therefore, the race was not stopped.
6. At the start, the third rider of a team starts very early. Even though false starts are normally called only for the lead rider, it would be
silly to let one of the riders ride away from the team before the start. In addition, the first rider must lead until the 30-meter mark.
Therefore, if the third rider starts early enough to pass the leader, you would definitely call a false start. It is difficult to describe how
strictly you should call false starts for riders other than the inside rider. However, whatever your level of strictness, it must be consistent
for every team.
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11
Chapter
XI. Team Sprint
A.
Basic Rules and Procedures
Teams of two or three riders start on opposite sides of the track and ride a two or three-lap race, respectively, using sprint-legal
bicycles. For a three-lap race, the first rider leads for one lap and withdraws. The second rider leads for one lap and withdraws, leaving
the last rider to do one more lap. It is a very fast, exciting event, which is actually a short version of a more general event called an
Italian Pursuit. The event is organized into a qualifying round leading directly to the finals. The rest of this section will assume we are
discussing a three-lap race, which is the international standard for men’s team sprint.
Starts and Restarts
•
•
The riders are held at the start either by starting blocks or by officials, and are neither restrained nor pushed.
•
•
Once the bicycle is locked into the starting blocks, the riders have 50 seconds before the start.
•
•
The leading rider for each team starts in the sprinter’s lane with the leading edge of the front wheel directly over the
starting line and the bicycle parallel to the measurement line.
In the case of a false start the race is stopped and restarted immediately. Each team is allowed only one false start. The
race is also stopped if there is a failure of the electronic timing system or the starting blocks.
In the case of a mishap (recognized or unrecognized), the team shall be granted a restart. A team may have only one
restart in a round for any reason.
Under current UCI rules, the riders must line up in the same manner as the Team Pursuit. Each rider is to have a onemeter separation between himself and the next rider. The team may line up either along the pursuit line or at a 45degree angle to the pursuit line.
Successive Pulls
•
•
•
•
•
The leading rider shall move toward the outside of the track after one lap, then drop back, and leave the track without
hindering the other team.
The rider that was in second position shall lead the following lap and then shall drop out in the same manner.
The third rider shall complete the last lap alone.
The lead rider must relinquish the lead no more than 15 meters before or after the end of the lap that rider is to lead. (A
rider relinquishes the lead by moving up the track and out of the way of the next rider by at least 1 meter.) Cones or
other markers are placed to indicate the exchange zone
No rider may push or pull another rider.
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Referees
Referees positioned in the corners of the track may be responsible for replacing the sponges as they are hit. Replace those sponges
that fly up onto the track first. Sponges are replaced on the blue band.
C.
Chief Timer
It is the responsibility of the Chief Timer to instruct the Assistant Timers of their responsibilities, which should include back-up timing for
the electronic system for each lap, recording the electronic time from the display board, and verbally noting any discrepancies to the
Chief Timer.
It is the responsibility of the Chief Timer to settle discrepancies in timing and to establish an official time and placing for each team.
The Team Sprint results are so close that any non-electronic times will be suspect, thus explaining the rule in the book that a team gets
a restart if the electronic time fails. However, this must be decided in the first half lap. If the timing fails at the end of the event, an
electronic equivalent time will have to be used.
D.
Starter
The role of the starter depends on the technology available. There may be electronically
operated timing and starting blocks, or manual timing and holders.
Call false starts very tightly
in a Team Sprint.
Start positions are the same as for a team pursuit.
The starting procedures are essentially the same as for other standing start races (Kilometer, Pursuits, etc.), but with greater intensity.
During the start, you must pay attention to all three riders. Any forward movement by any of the three riders prior to the start must be
called a false start. Practically, this is more difficult to determine when the team is lined up at a 45-degree angle.
Manual Starts with Holders
With this system, the start is similar to a pursuit and all other timed events. The Starter must judge the validity of the start and control
the flow.
The Starter, who is positioned in the center of the track, will also indicate to the holders if any of the riders is lined up incorrectly.
The Starter will call a false start if any rider moves forward before the gun or if the rider is pushed or restrained in any way. Starts
should be called even more tightly in a Team Sprint than in other timed events.
Championship Team Sprint
In Championship events, starting blocks will hold the teams on the two sides of the tracks. The starter controls the flow of the event: a
count down clock commences once both inside riders’ bikes are locked into the starting blocks. Once the countdown begins, it is not
stopped without a valid reason, such as a problem with the rider’s bike, timing system, or the starting blocks themselves.
The Starter will call a false start if a rider rips out of the blocks before the countdown clock indicates the start or if the starting blocks fail
to release the rider. In addition, if one of the other riders on a team moves forward prior to the starting signal, a false start shall be
called.
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Chief Referee
The order of start for the event, or seeding, will be done by order of the slowest teams to the fastest teams. Information provided by the
riders and coaches, including previous results, etc., ensures that the pairings are as accurate as possible.
Use the same Holders for all of the riders.
Position the bicycle so that the bottom of the wheel contacts the track about 10 cm behind the line and 50 cm above the bottom edge of
the track. Mark the track at these points as well as a contact point for the back wheel, which is also 50 cm above the bottom edge of the
track. The location for the starting blocks may also be marked on the track. If hand timing is used, the leading edge of the front wheel
should be directly over the line.
The biggest rule interpretation you will make involves when the lead rider swings up. He has one lap plus or minus 15 meters to do so.
The definition of relinquishing the lead has little to do with the passing rider. It has to do with him swinging up by a meter within the
prescribed zone. That is, he has to swing up before 15 meters past the line, but the following rider does not have to have passed by
then. On the other hand, common sense should also come into play. If the lead rider loses his line through turn 3 and nobody passed
him, the team did not benefit from any misbehavior and if they were still fast enough to win despite their leader’s unfortunate choice of
lines through the turn, they should not be penalized.
Quick Fact Check
1. What is the official distance of a Team Sprint for men?
2. How can the teams line up for a Team Sprint?
3. What happens if the third rider in the team moves slightly forward before
the start?
4. What happens if the second rider pulls his foot at the start of the final?
1. Three laps of the track, no matter what size the track is. 2. side by side up the track, or staggered at
a 45 degree angle, just as in a team pursuit. 3. The Starter will call a false start. 4. The team can stop
and start again at the end of the round.
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0
Chapter
XII. Questions/Case Studies - Team Sprint
1. The second rider of a team moves forward before the start, but does not pass the inside rider.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
2. In the finals, just after the first half lap, the lead rider has a flat tire. The team continues and has the fastest time.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
3. The lead rider of a team loses his line going through the third turn, swings way up the track and then back down. The second rider
does not pass him. The lead rider then swings up correctly at the end of his lap.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
4. A team false starts in the qualifying round. In their second attempt, they go two and a half laps and the last rider flats on the back
straight. He manages to get to the finish line, but the team manager requests a restart.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
5. A team false starts in the qualifying round. In their second attempt, they go two and a half laps and the last rider flats on the back
straight. He pulls off the track and the team manager requests a restart.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
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Chapter
XIII. Answers to Questions/Case Studies - Team Sprint
1. The second rider of a team moves forward before the start, but does not pass the inside rider. This is a false start and the Starter
should stop the race immediately.
2. In the finals, just after the first half lap, the lead rider has a flat tire. The team continues and has the fastest time. While it might seem
that the team should be allowed to continue, self-penalized as they are, this would be incorrect. The rules are quite clear that each rider
must lead one lap and only one lap. This ride does not count, and the race will be restarted assuming this was their first mishap of the
round. The starter must stop the race as soon as it is apparent there is a mishap. This is done so as not to unfairly affect the other
team.
3. The lead rider of a team loses his line going through the third turn, swings way up the track and then back down. The second rider
does not pass him. The lead rider then swings up correctly at the end of his lap. While the black and white rule would give the CR the
right to eliminate this team, common sense would dictate that the team gained no advantage and the ride should stand.
4. A team false starts in the qualifying round. In their second attempt, they go two and a half laps and the last rider flats on the back
straight. He manages to get to the finish line, but the team manager requests a restart. A team can have only two starts in a given
round. Unfortunately, for this team, they used one of theirs for a false start. This team can use the time they earned, but they cannot
have a new start.
5. A team false starts in the qualifying round. In their second attempt, they go two and a half laps and the last rider flats on the back
straight. He pulls off the track and the team manager requests a restart. This team just eliminated itself.
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Chapter
XIV. Sprint
A.
Basic Rules and Procedures
The sprint is a series of matches leading to a final match between the fastest riders. The matches consist of small groups of riders,
anywhere from 2-4. The format varies depending on the nature of the competition. Championship Sprints are treated below.
Rider seeding is based on a flying 200-meter time trial, which is used to determine the brackets for the 1/8 finals, where 16 riders
compete in two up rides. The winners advance to the quarterfinals, while the losers are ranked 9th through 16th based on their 200meter times. Upon reaching the quarterfinals, each rider will advance by winning the best of three rides. Other brackets are possible,
some including repechage rounds, where the losers get a second chance to get back into the medal rounds. The USCF rulebook gives
several variations on sprint formats. The UCI format is used in National Championship events for the Junior and Elite classes.
The distance of the event is 2 laps on a track of 333.33-meters or greater. On smaller tracks, the event is run over 3 laps.
B.
Chief Referee
The organizer has the responsibility of setting up the sprint format. The Chief Referee then establishes the seeding. If it is a
Championship event, there are Federation rules to give direction. Whichever it is, follow this set of guidelines:
------
Championship sprinting has a fixed format, with rules and conventions concerning format, repechage (if any), seeding, etc.
(See Sprint Seeding Table, USCF rulebook)
In non-Championship events, formats may be round robin, single elimination, or with four or five-up sprints as early round
possibilities.
In exhibition sprints, the number of riders is usually determined to fill a certain amount of time.
In exhibition events, the distance of the race is often two laps regardless of the size of the track.
Three-up finals and semifinals are common in exhibition sprints.
The sprint-seeding chart in the USCF rulebook eliminates any question of bias on the part of the officials, since the riders earn their spot
in the first round based on their 200 m TT. Once they have earned that spot, the table defines specifically where they end up based on
how they finish in each subsequent round. If a given rider ends up riding against the same rider twice or if he ends up riding against his
teammate, there is no adjustment made. In Championship sprint formats, if there are less than 16 competitors starting, the officials will
have to decide at which round to start the competition. For example, if there are 15 competitors, one option is to start with the UCI
format 1/8th finals (8 heats of 2), but give the top seed a bye. Another option is to go to the older 24-rider format and go directly to the 12
rider 1/8th finals. A third possibility is to go directly to the quarterfinals of 8. These decisions will take into account the time available and
the level of the race.
The Chief Referee also must position the Referees in the appropriate locations. This will depend on the number available. The best
situation is to have 5 Referees on the track. One for each corner and one on the backstretch. The Starter will cover the home stretch.
The minimum would be 3 Referees, where one would cover turns one and two, another would cover the backstretch, and a third would
cover turns three and four. The Starter would still cover the homestretch.
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Starter
The Starter will have a draw between the riders to determine their starting position on the track. Following is a suggested procedure:
------
Use numbered balls (ping-pong, or golf) in a drawstring bag.
Each rider in the heat draws a ball from the bag. #1 starts at the bottom, #2 next up...
The last rider should be offered the opportunity to draw the last ball even though the result seems obvious.
Hold the bag from the top, not the bottom to avoid the appearance that you are affecting the outcome of the draw.
make sure all riders are present before the draw begins.
Record the results from the draw, in case there is a restart.
The Starter will give the instructions to the riders. Tell them the distance, number of rides (one ride, best 2 out of 3, etc.), what happens
to the winner, what happens to the other riders. This will also be based on the level of the race. For the junior national championships,
riders may need more information. You can be sure that the riders in the final of the elite championships know quite well how many laps
and that it is a best two out of three.
Do not insult the riders by reciting the rulebook. For instance, they do not need to be told who must lead and for how long, unless you
are doing something different for a local event, such as running two lap sprints and having the riders lead for a half lap. In subsequent
rounds, do not repeat the information that has not changed, like number of laps, etc. In some cases, however, such as a Junior National
Track Championship, it is possible that the riders have never ridden a sprint before. In this case, they would welcome the instruction on
the line.
Start the race with one sharp, short blast on the whistle.
There are certain reasons for stopping a race, which are covered in the rulebook. These things include backing up on the track, track
stands on the blue band, and crashes. Riders may not do a track stand for more than 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, the starter tells the
rider who initiated the track stand to roll off. If he does not, then the race is stopped and the other rider is the winner. Use a double
gunshot to stop a race. Follow these procedures when positioning riders for the restart:
---
The rider at fault, for example the one who crashes due to going too slow or while attempting a standstill, backs up on the
track, etc., must lead the reride.
If no rider was at fault, for example a puncture, the positions remain the same as the original ride.
Before the sprint has begun, it may be necessary to position yourself on the track surface to better watch the movement or lack of
movement on the riders' part. The Starter must watch the race at all times.
Before the event starts, meet with your Assistant Referees. In the early part of the race, you will have to rely on their judgment as to
calls on the backstretch that may necessitate stopping the race. Work out a system of communication so you will know whether to stop
the race. If radio communication is not available, have them raise their hand high in the air. You must remember to watch for these
signals when the riders are on the backstretch or out of your vision.
D.
Chief Judge
The finish of a sprint is very fast, with very close finishes. A photofinish camera should be used whenever possible and is required in
Championship events. Judge all of the places, as they may be needed to move riders into subsequent heats, depending on the format.
Make sure you know the seeding/bracketing format being used.
In the case of a dead heat, follow the rules in the rulebook.
Timing for a sprint is done only on the last 200-meters. This timing is for information only and should not be used for moving riders to
the next round of sprints.
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Sprint Refereeing
Sprinting is not purely a game of speed. It is also a game of skill and intimidation. It is an intensely personal contest between riders with
a single intent--getting to the line first. The mental contest is as important as the physical one. For this reason, sprinting is refereed
differently than other events, and sprinters are allowed more latitude than other cyclists are.
This is reflected in the fact that the early rounds of a sprint competition are treated more strictly than the later rounds. The riders in the
later rounds are only the best, and these riders are given more latitude because they have earned their place.
When the Sprint Begins
The rules say that the sprint begins when the riders are at or near full speed. You must be consciously aware of that point in every
sprint.
Nothing the riders do before this point will result in a disqualification (except for blatant fouls like pushing an opponent or knocking him
down.) Certain actions may, however, result in a stoppage and reride.
Remember that it is possible for the sprint to begin, stop, and begin again. The rules on riding conduct apply during the portions of the
race when the riders are actually sprinting.
When the Sprint Ends
In sprinting, it is not always necessary to cross the line in order to win. For example, in the case of a mishap the Starter normally calls
the riders back, but only if they are in contention. If, in the opinion of the Chief Referee, the race has been decided, no restart occurs,
and the race is over at the point of mishap.
You must also be consciously aware of this point in every sprint-- the point at which the race is effectively finished. The Starter should
mark this point by holstering the Starter's pistol.
The Rules of Sprinting
The following rules apply to sprint races from the point where the sprint begins.
--
No rider may attempt either to overtake an opponent using the blue band, while passing or to pull out of a passing maneuver.
On modern tracks, there is often a very smooth transition to the blue band from the riding surface. This makes it very tempting
to take the lower route. The Chief Referee must make sure that all riders understand from the outset that riding on the blue
band is not permitted. All instances of this infraction must be handled quickly and firmly. Otherwise, control of the race and the
confidence of the riders and managers will quickly be lost.
--
The leader must always leave room on the right for other riders to pass. How much room is enough? Not much - if the
following rider tries to go over and is physically prevented, then there was not enough room. Do not penalize the front rider for
intimidating the following rider into thinking the top will close. The front rider must physically block the rear rider for this rule to
take effect.
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--
The leader is not obligated to leave room on the left, but may not enter the sprinters lane if it is occupied, unless the leader
has a clear lead. This is one of the common judgment calls. What is a clear lead? If both racers are heading for the sprinters
lane and the lead rider gets there first, then the question is irrelevant. If the rear rider gets into the lane first, but there is no
overlap at all, then clearly the front rider can come into the lane, and the rear rider will have to go around. Anything in
between is a judgment call. If the rear rider gets to the lane first and then the leader comes into it while overlapping the rear
rider's front wheel by 6 inches, you have a decision to make. You must know in your mind how much of a lead a clear lead is.
This is often the most difficult decision to make in sprint refereeing.
--
If the leader is below the sprinter's line, he must stay below the line until the finish (or until the sprint stops) and all following
riders must pass on the right and outside of the sprinter's lane. However, the leader may come out of the sprinter's lane if he
or she is so far ahead that there is no hindrance to opponents. This seems black and white, but really is not. If the leader is in
the sprinter's lane close to the red line and crosses it by a few centimeters, was that a hindrance to the following riders? Many
times a trailing rider who has no chance of winning will try to convince you that the leader left the sprinter's lane. If the two
riders were not overlapped, then the move could not have hindered the following rider, even though it startles some riders. If
they are overlapped and the leader takes the following rider up the track a meter, that is a different matter.
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--
If the leader is riding above the sprinter's line, he may make no abrupt motion to keep other riders from passing and may
make no move to the right that exceeds 90 cm (the width of the sprinter's lane.) This is the rule that has changed the most in
the last decade. Previously, the abruptness was the only consideration, and the leader could gradually take the rider behind
all of the way up the track. Now sideways movements are gauged by the width of the sprinter's lane. Since you will not be
using a tape measure on each move a rider makes, common sense must still apply.
--
There is no penalty if the lead rider drops below the measurement line or the blue band at the finish.
--
In a sprint with three or more contestants, a rider who is hemmed in at the bottom by other riders may not force his way out of
the box. If rider A is in the lead in the sprinters lane, rider B is just above the red line a half a bike length back, and rider C is
directly behind rider A in the sprinter's lane, then rider C will have to back around rider B and pass both on their right. He may
not force his way in between A and B. A rider may also be relegated for blocking or interfering with another rider. Three-ups
are more difficult than two-ups, for both the riders and the Referees. There are many more possibilities. The main problem in
3-up sprinting vs. 2-up sprinting is that blocking can occur in a 3-up. The tactic of the second rider holding up the third to allow
a "breakaway" is as old as three-up sprints. This should result in a reride between the riders not at fault. Remember, though,
that any rider who accepts the third position is doomed to pass two others in order to win, even if the second legitimately rides
high. As long as the second rider is defending his chances, the third rider has no complaint.
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--
Part of the judgment in officiating involves the concept of, “the effect on the race.” What this means is that before a rider is
penalized, there has to be a rule violation, but also there should be a noted effect the move had on the race. That is why if a
rider leaves the sprinter’s lane but he was not overlapped with anyone at
the time, we do not penalize him. The use of
warnings can be very subtle yet important in such situations. The current trend at the highest level of racing is that a
commissaire will not give a public warning to the rider who won the sprint. If rider A fouls rider B, and rider A wins, then rider A
should be relegated if you feel the move was a foul. On the other hand, if rider B wins, then it is appropriate to warn rider
A. The warning says, in essence, “we saw what you did and had you won, you would have been relegated.” There might be
times when a move on the part of the winning rider was questionable. The best practice would be to talk to that rider privately.
Warning the winning rider is akin to asking the losing rider to file a protest.
--
Along the same grounds, you may have to deal with the situation of a rider who feels he has been fouled, puts his hand up in
protest, and does not continue contesting the sprint. The UCI rules state explicitly that a rider cannot make such an
ostentatious display. With our rules it is a definite grey area. If the foul was obvious, you would be right in penalizing the
offending rider. However, in any case where the move was questionable, the rider who felt he was fouled has just made an
error because he can no longer claim there was any effect on the race. The fouled rider did not lose the race because of the
alleged foul, rather he lost because he quit.
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Sprint refereeing is a skill which calls for more judgment and knowledge than any other single part of bicycle race officiating. It is also
very difficult to put onto paper. This section has simply given a few basic guidelines, with the disclaimer that it is necessary to watch
many sprints, discuss them with senior officials, and study the sprint game in order to become proficient.
Quick Fact Check
1. How many laps is a sprint race on a 250 meter track?
2. What is a repechage?
3. Where should the referees be stationed?
4. How long may a rider do a trackstand?
5. Should you use the 200 meter time from the 1/8th finals to seed the ¼ finals?
6. Where must the leader leave room for following riders to pass?
1. three 2. a round where riders who lost in the previous round get a chance to get back into the medal rounds. 3. Optimally, in
corners 1,2, 3, and 4, on the backstraight, and the starter on the homestraight. 4. For a maximum of 30 seconds per trackstand.
5. No 6. on the outside
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Chapter
XV. Questions/Case Studies - Sprint
1. Rider A leads rider B high on the track. Rider B dives down the track - passing rider A. Rider B rides below the blue band for 10
meters at the entrance to corner 2 and then moves back up into the sprinter's lane. Rider B wins the sprint by 2 cm, and rider A's
manager protests that Rider B rode on the blue band.
_____________
_____________
_____
_____________________
2. Rider A does a track stand in the sprinters lane at the beginning of the last lap of the race. Rider B also does a track stand but behind
and to the right of rider A. Rider B pulls out of the track stand first, passes rider A on the apron, rides 50 meters and comes back up into
the sprinter's lane between turns one and two. Rider B wins the sprint and Rider A protests.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
3. In a two up ride, Rider A leads rider B out of turn 3 and both are in the sprinter's lane. Rider A moves up and rides just below the red
line. Rider B starts to pass on rider A's left when rider A moves back down the track. Rider B continues on the blue band, then passes
rider A and gets to the line first.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
4. In a two up ride, Rider A leads rider B out of turn 3 and both are in the sprinter's lane. Rider A moves up and rides just below the red
line. Rider B starts to pass on rider A's left when rider A moves back down the track. Rider B finishes on the blue band behind rider A
and protests that he was run off the track.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
5. In a two up ride, Rider A leads rider B out of turn 3 and both are in the sprinter's lane. Rider A moves up and rides just below the red
line. Rider B starts to pass on rider A's left when rider A moves sharply down the track onto the blue band causing rider B to crash.
_____________
_____________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Chapter
XVI. Answers to Questions/Case Studies - Sprint
1. Rider A leads rider B high on the track. Rider B dives down the track-passing rider A. Rider B rides below the blue band for 10 meters
at the entrance to corner 2 and then moves back up into the sprinter's lane. Rider B wins the sprint by 2 cm, and rider A's manager
protests that Rider B rode on the blue band. The momentary position on the blue band was inconsequential. This does not have an
unfair advantage for rider B. The ride should stand.
2. Rider A does a track stand in the sprinters lane at the beginning of the last lap of the race. Rider B also does a track stand but behind
and to the right of rider A. Rider B pulls out of the track stand first, passes rider A on the apron, rides 50 meters and comes back up into
the sprinter's lane between turns one and two. Rider B wins the sprint and Rider A protests. If the ride was allowed to continue, no
action should be taken. Rider A did the trackstand in the sprinter's lane so rider B would have to pass on the right, so rider B did get an
advantage from passing on the left. The Starter could have stopped the ride at the point where rider B dove underneath. The Starter
has the authority to stop a race before the sprint begins in the case of a flagrant violation. Some flexibility in these moves is given when
the track is very steep and it is impossible to pull out of a trackstand and stay on the track.
3. In a two up ride, Rider A leads rider B out of turn 3 and both are in the sprinter's lane. Rider A moves up and rides just below the red
line. Rider B starts to pass on rider A's left when rider A moves back down the track. Rider B continues on the blue band, passing rider
A and gets to the line first. Rider B is relegated to second for passing on the left of a rider in possession of the sprinter's lane.
4. In a two up ride, Rider A leads rider B out of turn 3 and both are in the sprinter's lane. Rider A moves up and rides just below the red
line. Rider B starts to pass on rider A's left when rider A moves back down the track. Rider B finishes on the blue band behind rider A
and protests that he was run off the track. The protest is denied as Rider B caused the problem by trying to come underneath. Rider A
had the right to the full sprinter's lane.
5. In a two up ride, Rider A leads rider B out of turn 3 and both are in the sprinter's lane. Rider A moves up and rides just below the red
line. Rider B starts to pass on rider A's left when rider A moves sharply down the track onto the blue band causing rider B to crash.
Rider A is disqualified. Although rider B should not have come underneath, rider A did not need to crash him in order to win.
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Chapter
XVII. Flying Start Time Trial
A.
Basic Rules and Procedures
Although flying start time trials have four lines in the USCF rulebook, they are very important for a simple reason – the 200-meter flying
start time trial is often the very first event at a track national championships. Thus, it is the race where the officials can set the tone for a
good event.
On tracks of 250-meters, three and one-half laps are permitted, on a 333.33-meter track, two and one-half, and on tracks greater than
333.33-meters, two laps are permitted. Included in the distances noted above are the timed 200-meters. For example, on a 250-meter
track, riders will be sent onto the track on the backstraight. Crossing the finish line, they will see three laps to go, the next time around,
two laps to go, the next time around they will see one lap to go and receive the bell. During this lap, timing will be done for the final
200-meters.
There must be a tape switch on the 200-meter line and the finish line. Since only the last 200-meters are actually timed, you only need
to place the sponges on the blue band in the third and fourth turns for a track of 333m. On a 250-meter track, the 200-meter line is
between turns one and two, so sponges would also be needed in turn 2.
B.
Holder
Riders can be pushed as they have two rolling laps to get up to speed. Riders must be lined up and ready to go as they are pushed
onto the track when the competitor before them passes after tripping the timing tape. The riders being pushed onto the track should
start at a location past the 200-meter line. You do not want the following rider to trip the timing tape during the previous rider’s timed
distance. An official should act as a holder, but it is not necessary for him to hold every rider. Typically, riders are held and pushed
onto the track by their coach. Having the rider held by their coach, or other designate, would be the ideal situation. If no one is holding
the rider, the official will assume that role.
C.
Laps/Bell
Assuming the event is held on a 333-meter track, start by showing a “2” to the rider the first time he comes by on his warm up lap. The
next lap, show “1” and ring the bell. As the rider is finishing, show him ”0” or turn the lap counter so that the rider cannot see the
numbers and immediately switch to “2” to give to the next rider starting his warm-up laps.
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D.
T H R E E :
O F F I C I A T I N G
T R A C K
E V E N T S
Timers
Timers must be positioned to observe both the 200-meter line and the finish line. An elevated stand on the finish line should provide an
unobstructed view. Timing can also be done from outside the track.
For Championships, there should be a tape switch on the 200-meter line and the finish line. If electronic timing is being used, check
your times against it.
The rider has a set number of ‘warm-up’ laps before timing begins. The following rider will be pushed onto the track before the first rider
has finished his 200-meters. Close attention must be paid to ensure correct timing.
E.
Chief Referee
The Chief Referee is responsible for the order of start and the format to be used in the time trial. In some situations, the order could be
random. In a championship event, the returning top eight sprinters are seeded to go last.
The format should be such that the event keeps moving along at a brisk pace, with one rider immediately following another. Riders are
usually started on the backstretch near, but past, the 200-meter mark.
Riders are allowed a set number of warm-up laps before the timing begins. Therefore, a rider may be put onto the track before another
is finished. As a rider passes the 200-meter mark and his timing starts, the next rider is pushed up onto the track to begin rolling his
warm up laps. This procedure needs to be explained and both riders need to be aware that the other is on the track.
Make sure the lap cardholder knows the system. They will start by showing the proper lap number to the rider on the warm up lap. With
one lap to go, they show “1” and ring the bell. As the rider is finishing, they show him “0” or nothing and immediately switch to the
proper number of laps for the rider beginning the warm up.
This event begins most Championship track races; it can set the tone for the whole event. Make sure that a good "Whip" has been
assigned to get the riders to the starting area. If the riders are not staged early, then the starter cannot give them the commands early.
Chances are then, that they would not be ready to roll out when the current rider hits the 200 m line. There should also be
communication from the starter to the timers. If the wrong rider goes up on the track, the timers need to know whom they are really
timing.
F.
Starter
The Starter should have several riders lined up and ready to roll off as soon as a rider trips the tape switch. Remember that you are
dealing with sprinters. They usually use toe-straps, which take some time to get ready. The starter should give them the instructions
about how many laps they will be riding and let them know where the previous competitor is and when they will be pushed out onto the
track. The starter should stand in front of the rider and move out of the way when it is time for the rider to be pushed onto the track.
G.
Whip
Whether an official or not, the person acting as whip is the most important person in the flying 200-meter time trial. Only by actively
seeking the riders will they be lined up early, or even on time. The event can drag on if there are gaps and the interest of any spectators
lost. The whip, the holder, and the starter work closely together to make sure all of the riders are lined up on time.
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Chapter
XVIII. Questions/Case Studies - Flying Start Time Trials
1. A rider has a mishap during his ride.
_____________
_____________
_____________
2. A rider has a non-mishap, such as a pulled foot.
_____________
_____________
_____________
3. A rider misses his appointed starting time and wants to start later.
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_____________
_____________
_____________
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5
Chapter
XIX. Answers to Questions/Case Studies - Flying Start Time Trial
1. A rider has a mishap during his ride. This is the same as the kilo. The rider would start again at the end of the session or within 10
minutes. If it were an unrecognized mishap, the rider would restart immediately.
2. A rider has an unrecognized mishap, such as a pulled foot. This is also the same as in the kilo and the rider must restart immediately
or as soon as possible. The starter could send another rider out on the track in the interim.
3. A rider misses his appointed starting time and wants to start later. This rider has eliminated himself. If he were restarted, it would set
the precedent that a rider could "adjust" his seeding by being late. Some consideration should be given as to why the rider missed his
start. If the rider had a puncture just as he was being called up, then he could be given a new start time, trying to get him going as
quickly as possible.
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Chapter
XX. Scratch Race
A.
Basic Rules and Procedures
All of the riders start in the same place at the same time. The race is run over a specified number of laps and the riders are classified
according to their position at the finish. Riders who are out of contention can be pulled or allowed to continue. A scratch race is a
criterium on the track.
If stated in the race announcement, free laps may be granted until the final kilometer. A rider who has a
legitimate mishap is entitled to a number of laps up to 1300 meters.
B.
A scratch race is
a criterium on the
track.
Laps/Bell
For this event, it is essential to know which rider is the “leader on the track”. Lap cards are turned for the “leader on the track”. All riders
finish on the same lap as the leader. Know how many laps there are, as this will vary from event to event.
The start of the race always begins with a “neutral lap,” prior to the actual start of the race. The initial start may be from the rail, or both
from the rail and sprinter’s lane with holders. The person on the laps needs to pay attention to the starter so that the laps start counting
down when the race really starts. In some cases the start may be delayed.
C.
Referees
Maintain constant observation of the event while it is in progress. Infractions on the last lap and in the final sprint will be the most
common. If a rider pulls off the track with an apparent mishap, it is important that the referees get to the bicycle before the managers or
mechanics.
D.
Pit Referee
The Pit Referee may have the toughest job in this race. If a crash or mishap occurs, he will have to assess whether the mishap is
legitimate and figure out when the rider has to go back in. As long as free laps are still open, the rider has up to 1300 meters. That is 5
laps on a 250-meter track and 4 laps on a 333.33. One grey area is when you start counting. If the rider crashes on the start line with 10
laps to go, by the time he gets to the pit on the back straight, he likely will already have lost a lap. Common practice is to start counting
when the rider arrives at the pit, unless you suspect that the rider is taking too much time for tactical reasons.
E.
Chief Referee
Meet with the other Referees to review the rider conduct for this type of event. Position the Referees around the track and decide on a
method of communication during the race. If radios are not available, have the Referees make notes on any infractions and report to
you immediately following the race.
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P A R T
F.
T H R E E :
O F F I C I A T I N G
T R A C K
E V E N T S
Starter
The method for starting the riders may vary depending on the distance of the event and the nature of the track.
A short race should be started with Holders. The riders may draw for position on the track if the Starter feels that position is important.
This type of race is called a “Chariot Race.” The starting signal (whistle or gun) should be given from behind the riders. The gun can be
held overhead, however it should be raised well before the start so the riders cannot anticipate the start by watching your shadow on
the track. The gun can also be pointed down for the start, making it very difficult to anticipate. Likewise, the whistle should be placed
near your mouth for the same reason. To avoid false starts, do not do countdowns. The best way is to tell the riders that the start will be
in approximately 30 seconds and that the next sound they will hear will be the gun.
In longer events if the field is not too large, the riders may start from positions on the rail and start after a neutral lap. If the field is large,
they may line up on the rail and with holders in the sprinter’s lane, and be given a neutral lap followed by a rolling start. In general, for
the start following a neutral lap the riders should be together, with no one breaking off the front or lagging too far off of the back.
Remember the “neutral lap” is not a slow lap; it is a lap used to get the field together for a fair start. If the field lets one or more riders
ride off the front at a reasonable pace during the neutral lap, go ahead and start the race. It is up to the riders to stay together for the
start; it should be a rare occurrence that the “neutral lap” is more than one lap. The only reasons for allowing additional laps in the
“neutral lap” is because a rider attacks during the lap or a rider has some type of mechanical or other problem preventing them him from
maintaining contact with the field.
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Chapter
XXI. Questions/Case Studies - Scratch Races
1. What do you do when a crash occurs?
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
2. A rider in the field is on the homestraight and crashes with 15 laps to go on a 250-meter track. His rear wheel is bent to the point of
being unrideable. He runs to the pit on the back straight and arrives just as the field is going by with 13 and ½ laps to go. How are the
free laps counted for this rider?
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
3. A rider in the field is on the homestraight and crashes with 6 laps to go on a 333.33-meter track. His rear wheel is bent to the point of
being unrideable. He runs to the pit on the back straight and arrives just as the field is going by with 4 and ½ laps to go. How are the
free laps counted for this rider?
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
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22
Chapter
XXII. Answers to Questions/Case Studies - Scratch Race
1. What do you do when a crash occurs? Your main consideration is safety. Also, remember that a race should not be stopped without
a very good reason. If the riders and bicycles that have crashed are well off the track, then let the race continue. If they present a
danger, then neutralize the race until the track can be cleared. If the crash occurs after the bell has rung, it is best to continue the race unless the crash presents a serious hazard. Use the Referees to caution the finishing riders. You can then look at the circumstances of
the crash and decide if there are to be any penalties given or if the results will stand.
When a crash occurs and there are free laps, the priority is on keeping track of who crashed and when, so that the free laps they can
take can be calculated correctly.
2. A rider in the field is on the homestraight and crashes with 15 laps to go on a 250-meter track. His rear wheel is bent to the point of
being unrideable. He runs to the pit on the back straight and arrives just as the field is going by with 13 and ½ laps to go. How are the
free laps counted for this rider? On a 250-meter track, the rider is entitled to 5 free laps. Technically, he has used one of them up while
he is trying to get to the pit, but common sense dictates that there are so many variables surrounding how long it might take a rider to
get to the pit. You should err on the side of leniency and just start counting his 5 laps from the time he arrives in the pit.
3. A rider in the field is on the homestraight and crashes with 6 laps to go on a 333.33-meter track. His rear wheel is bent to the point of
being unrideable. He runs to the pit on the back straight and arrives just as the field is going by with 4 and ½ laps to go. How are the
free laps counted for this rider? The rider must get back in the next time the field comes by because that will be 3 and ½ laps to go.
Once inside 3 to go, there are no more free laps.
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Chapter
XXIII. Miss and Out
A.
Basic Rules and Procedures
The distance of this event will vary with the number of entries. The last rider on designated laps is pulled from the race. When called
out, a rider must remove himself as soon as safely possible. The race is normally ridden until a specified number of riders are left and
ends with a conventional sprint for the final placings, however, it could be run down to the final rider according to the format explained to
the riders. This event is also called the “Elimination Race” or “Devil Take the Hindmost”.
When riders are being eliminated, they are judged based on the trailing edge of their rear tires as they cross the line.
Unlike other massed-start events, gaining a lap is of little value to a rider. If a rider laps the field and then comes across the line last in
the field, that rider is still withdrawn.
There is no compensation for mishaps. In fact, any rider suffering a mishap is automatically eliminated.
Experienced riders will count the number of laps and the number of competitors in the race. It is important to them that only one rider is removed
per lap. The Judge must be watching carefully, so that if a rider has a mishap and pulls off on the back of the track, that rider is called out for that
lap. It is not fair to call out the last rider remaining on the track, since he legitimately believed there was someone behind him.
B.
Back straight Referee
This placement is important to watch for any passing or overtaking on the blue band. If such
overtaking occurs, this information should be given immediately to the Chief Judge. How this will be
conveyed will be dependant on the track and the facilities available. The Chief Referee should instruct
all Referees on the methods of communication to be used. Radios work best. A rider who passes
others on the blue band is usually called out even if he did not cross the line last, so it is essential that
this information be conveyed to the Chief Judge before the riders get to the finish line.
C.
Watch for riders
gaining a tactical
advantage by passing
others on the blue
band.
Chief Referee/Starter
The biggest decision will be the format of the event. Decide on the rules for the event, which should include the laps on which riders will
be called out and the number of riders at the finish. Usually riders are removed until there are three riders left in a Miss and Out. Then
there is one lap: a “free lap” where nobody is removed. The three riders get the bell, and they then do a conventional sprint for the top
three places, judged on the front wheel.
If a rider does not come out when he is called, another rider should not be removed until the first rider has come out.
If a withdrawing rider interferes with another rider, do not call out a rider that lap.
If there is a crash, wait a lap or two to get through the confusion before you start pulling riders again. When multiple riders crash, there
are several ways to handle it, depending on where in the race you are at the time. Early in the race, if a rider or two crashes, those
riders will be out of luck. However, the riders in the pack will not be sure whether they are getting more than one lap without riders being
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O F F I C I A T I N G
T R A C K
E V E N T S
removed. It must be made clear to the field when riders will be removed again. If many riders crash, then it would probably be best to
just neutralize the race and give them a chance to get back in. This avoids the even greater confusion than when a couple of riders
crash. As always, safety is the main concern. A rider who crashes alone and is thereby removed may think it unfair that the next crash
earned the riders a neutralization, but if 5 riders are lying on the track, that poses a much bigger safety issue than a single fallen rider.
The biggest decision during the race will be whether a rider used the blue band to pass another rider, which is very common.
Remember that if a rider is riding in the sprinter’s lane, a following rider may not pass him underneath. This rule is applied to the riders
that are in danger of being withdrawn. If there are 30 riders in the field and as they approach the line, the fifth rider in line ends up on
the blue band, you would not call him out. However, if the last rider in the group did the same thing and avoided being the last rider over
the line, then you would call him out.
Always start a “Miss and Out” with a neutral lap.
D.
Chief Judge
Only one person should judge the Miss and Out. Since the rider must be called out immediately, there is no time for discussion. It is like
calling balls and strikes in baseball. Usually you are right, and sometimes you are wrong. Either way the game goes on.
Communication between the Chief Judge and the announcer must allow the rider's number to be called immediately by the announcer
over the loud speaker. Then the rider will know to remove himself from the race. This should happen quickly enough that the riders
know who was called before they enter turn two. If no loudspeaker system were available, then this information would have to be
relayed to an official in turn 2 or on the back straight. Make sure the announcer does not anticipate the call and announce that a rider is
out, when another rider is to be pulled for an infraction such as advancing on the Blue Band.
In the rare situation that a rider is gaining a lap, the situation becomes very tricky. Once the rider gains a lap, he then has to sprint with
everybody else and can be called out for being last. There really is no benefit to gaining a lap and the rider would be better off just
hanging far off the front until he eventually wins.
Quick Fact Check
1. How is a miss and out judged?
2. What happens to a rider who has a mishap?
3. What are the backstraight referee and Starter looking for during the race?
4. What happens if a rider gains a lap?
5. What happens if the assistant judge does not agree with you concerning which rider was last?
1. by the trailing edge of the rear tire. 2. He is eliminated. 3. Riders passing on the blue band to gain an advantage. 4. He must then sprint with
everyone else. If he crosses the line last, he is still eliminated even though he is one lap up. 5. Discuss it later if you want, but only one person
judges a miss and out.
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Chapter
XXIV. Questions/Case Studies - Miss and Out
1. A rider decides to give up and remove himself from the race.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
2. A rider comes down off the racing surface of the track.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
3. A rider or riders pass many riders on the apron on the backside of the course.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
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Chapter
XXV. Answers to Questions/Case Studies - Miss and Out
1. A rider decides to give up and remove himself from the race. When this happens, a determination must be made as to whether or not
to remove a rider from the back of the field. This consideration should be decided before the race. A point on the track should be
decided on. For instance, if the rider removes himself before a half lap to the finish line, then a rider will also be pulled at the line. If
however, a rider removes himself after a half lap to the finish line, no other rider will be pulled at the line and the rider removing himself
will be announced by the announcer as being out. If in doubt, do not remove a rider.
2. A rider comes down off the racing surface of the track. Consideration must be given to the circumstances. If a rider is forced off the
track and does not improve his position, then nothing needs to be done. If on the other hand a rider comes off the track and passes
other riders so as not to be last across the line, then that rider is called out. This is a decision made by the Chief Referee and must be
communicated to the Chief Judge immediately so that no other rider is called out.
3. A rider or riders pass many riders on the apron on the backside of the course. If there is a Referee on the backside with a radio, the
problem can be communicated in time to pull the offending rider on that lap. If there are no radios, then the Referee will have to tell the
Chief Referee later. In the latter case, a rider would be pulled from the back of the pack on that lap, and the offending rider would be
dealt with later, or not, as determined by the Chief Referee.
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Chapter
XXVI.
A.
Points Race
Basic Rules and Procedures
A Points race is a massed rolling start event. There are sprints for points on designated laps, usually every five or six laps. For
Championship Points Race, sprints take place every 2 kilometers. The first four riders are awarded 5, 3, 2, and 1 point, respectively. A
rider who laps the field is awarded 20 points and a rider who has been lapped by the field has 20 points deducted. The race ends when
the race leader completes the distance of the race.
While riders on different laps can work together, a rider who loses contact with the field may not lead riders that are off the front of the
field. Riders off the front of the field may accept no such assistance from dropped riders.
Terminology
Following is a list of terms that need to be clearly understood by all the officials:
--
The leader on the track is the rider who, if a points sprint were finishing now, would get the points. Riders off the
front of the field become the leaders on the track. Once they gain their lap, and are in the field, they are no longer
the leaders on the track.
--
The race leader is the rider leading on points and would win the race should it finish at that point.
--
The field is the largest group of riders on the track. If two or more groups are of approximately equal size, the
leading group is the field. You do not have to count the riders if the groups are comparable in size. However, in
practice it is best to count, as you will likely be challenged should you need to designate at field with two equally
sized groups.
--
A rider loses a lap when he has been dropped, then absorbed by the field. A rider must be absorbed by the field
before the bell rings to be eligible for points in that sprint.
--
A rider gains a lap when he breaks away, gains ground, and is within 5 meters of the last rider in the main field. If
there is no field and the riders are strung out around the track, a rider attempting to gain a lap must pass half of
them. The Chief Referee makes this decision.
--
No man's land is a colloquial term used to describe a situation where a rider was dropped and then passed by the
leaders on the track but has not yet been lapped. Thus, he is in no man's land because he is not eligible to score
points.
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P A R T
B.
T H R E E :
O F F I C I A T I N G
T R A C K
E V E N T S
Referees
Observe the riders for any attempts to overtake below the blue band during the sprints.
Riders are given free laps for a legitimate mishap. If a mishap occurs, verify that it is legitimate. This means you must check the bicycle!
Note how many laps it takes for the rider to get back into the race. Riders are allowed the number of free laps nearest to 1300 meters (4
laps on a 333.33-meter track) but can return before that if they are ready. They should return to the group they were with when the
mishap occurred. This means they will have to start out in advance so they can drop into the group as it overtakes them. Because you
will have to note whether they join the appropriate group, you will need to score the race. Scoring the race means keeping track of
which riders are ahead of the field and those riders losing contact with the field.
Free laps for a mishap cannot be taken in the final 5 laps of the race.
C.
Laps and Bell
The Points Race is the hardest event to do the lap cards and bell. It is essential the cards be changed with the leader on the track. The
referee doing the lap cards must be knowledgeable and able to keep track of the leader on the track. If they are inexperienced, the
Chief Referee or the Starter should be near at hand to offer direction.
D.
Judge/Scorer
It is not necessary to score every lap but it is essential to know where the race leaders are at all times. These positions are
usually divided up so that one person is concentrating on the leader on the track. Another person is keeping track of riders
gaining or losing laps. One judge is concentrating on maintaining the points tally sheet. Another could watch the overall
flow of the event and be ready to contribute if things become confused. It is extremely important that someone keep track
of the race, laps up and down. It is too easy to concentrate on one thing: such as who is leading or placings in the sprints,
and then lose track of the overall race.
E.
Chief Referee/Starter
The most important decisions to be made during a points race have to do with gaining and losing laps. As Chief Referee or Starter, this
is your call and therefore you should position yourself very close to the Chief Judge and Scorers. This ensures the information can be
relayed to them immediately, since it will determine the awarding of points in the sprints. At larger races, the Starter usually does the
designation of riders up and down a lap.
Communication to the announcer is also important and should be worked out before the start of the event. This helps to ensure that the
announcer can remain informed. Otherwise, incorrect results could be announced which will confuse the riders and the crowd.
Since a rider can have the sprint points or the 20 points for gaining a lap, but not both (unless he sprints around the entire field on bell
lap), a strong rider may delay joining the field in order to continue getting the sprint points. Remember it is your judgment as to the
definition of shelter. The rulebook defines the distance as 5 meters. If you feel he is within 5 meters of the back of the field, you award
him the 20 points and inform the rider and the Chief Judge of your decision.
Riders who are not really racing, such as those who ride very slowly around the top of the track and are lapped just in time to sprint,
should be removed.
If a rider is about to gain a lap at the bell and does so before the field gets the bell, the field (or
any breakaway riders) gets the points, even though the bell did not ring for them. This is
because when the leader joins the field the lap cards change, which means you are on the
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Decisions must be made and
announced quickly. All of the
riders are constantly adjusting
their strategy to the current points
total and race situation
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sprint lap and points must be given. Once again, it is very important for fast and accurate communication between yourself and the
Chief Judge so that points are awarded correctly.
The Chief Referee or Starter should continually indicate the leader on the track, especially when the race gets confusing. This is done
by pointing to the leaders as they cross the finish line. This will be very helpful to the Scorers, as they often cannot watch the entire
race, since they must place riders during the sprints and tally the score sheet.
Since riders on different laps will be in the race at the same time, you must be aware of what is allowed when they are near each other
on the track:
--
A rider may not drop back and assist another rider in gaining a lap. If this is attempted, the Chief Referee must warn the riders
involved. Other disciplinary action should occur immediately if the warning is ignored. A rider who does this can be removed
from the race or there can be loss of points or laps for the leader.
--
Do not allow the riders to continue their misconduct by delaying the announcement of your decision. If you do, the rider
committing the infraction will base his strategy upon the presumption that he has gained his lap or points. Furthermore, all of
the other riders will have based their strategies on the same assumption.
Race Situations
The following diagrams show commons situations that occur in a points race.
The diagram below shows the uncomplicated situation with a small breakaway off the front that is scoring points. Behind them are the
main pack and two dropped groups.
The diagram below shows the same situation but later in the race. The breakaway constitutes the leaders on the track, and they are
getting close to catching the dropped riders, P and O.
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A little bit later, the leader on the track, A, has passed the two dropped riders. Rider A is winning the points, but he has not yet lapped
the field. The dropped riders P and O have not yet been lapped, by the field. They may not lead rider A. They are in no man’s land and
do not score points.
Still later, rider A has passed dropped riders N, Q, and R. Rider A continues to score points, but he has still not gained a lap. Riders N,
Q, R, P, and O have not yet been lapped. The only riders scoring points are A, B, C, and D. Riders N, Q, and R are all in no man’s land.
In the diagram below, rider A has now lapped the field and been awarded 20 points. Riders N, Q, R, O, and P have been lapped, and
lose 20 points. Riders B, C, and D will score points in the next sprint, as they are now the leaders on the track.
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M A N U A L
In the following diagram, riders B, C, and D continue to be the leaders on the track and score points. However, riders P and O, having
been duly lapped, now have gone off the front. They are now eligible for the 4th place points if a points sprint were on the line.
Below, Rider B has now lapped the field and earned 20 points. Riders P and O went with him and have now regained the 20 points they
lost when they were lapped earlier in the race. Riders C and D are the leaders on the track and would earn first and second place points
in a sprint.
In this last diagram, riders C and D have also taken a lap and earned 20 points. Everything is back together, and the judges can relax
for a moment!
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P A R T
F.
T H R E E :
O F F I C I A T I N G
T R A C K
E V E N T S
Chief Judge
As Chief Judge, you and the Assistant Judges will be judging sprints on the designated laps and awarding points to the first four riders
on each point sprint. Judges should place the top five riders, just in case of relegation during the sprint.
It is very important to have very close contact with the Chief Referee or Starter and the Scorers for the race. You must know who the
leader on the track is and who is eligible for points just prior to every point sprint so that points can be awarded correctly.
You must know which riders on the track are eligible for points. Points are first given to any rider who has left the field from the front and
has not yet gained a lap. If no one has broken off the front, then the leading riders in the field get the points.
You must know which riders on the track are not eligible for points. Riders who have left the field from the back and have not yet been
lapped are in this category.
The Chief Judge delegates the tasks to the judging crew. Usually a Judge is responsible for keeping a points tally.
Another keeps track of the leader on the track at all times. A third concentrates on laps up and down. Usually all of
the Judges help with the judging of sprints, and each has certain places they are looking for, such as first and
down, second and down, third and down.
It is easy to get lost in a points race. That is one reason why one official should be the one who only keeps track
of the big picture and does not worry about how many points anyone has.
You can never
have too much
communication
during a points
race.
Communications are important for this race. A common conversation you might hear on the judge’s stand would go like this, as a points
sprint is entering turn 4:
Chief Judge:
Bill:
“Oh, oh, what’s going on? Bill, talk to me.
“The two riders exiting turn four are the leaders on the track, the next three are in no man’s land, and then you have
the field.”
The Starter also helps the judges out by indicating the leader on the track. Many do this every lap out of habit, but it should be done
periodically and always when there is a sprint coming.
Quick Fact Check
1. How often do sprints occur during a Championship Points Race?
2. How is a rider rewarded for lapping the field?
3. What does, “no man’s land” mean?
4. How many free laps does a rider get for a mishap on a 400 meter track?
5. How many points does a rider get for winning the final sprint of the race?
6. Under what circumstances is a lapped rider eligible for points?
1. Every 2 Km. 2. He receives 20 points. 3. When a rider has been dropped by the field but not yet lapped and is not eligible for points. 4. three
laps. 5. Five points. 6. If he is lapped before the bell on the sprint lap.
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Chapter
XXVII. Questions/Case Studies - Points Race
1. The points sprint is close and the Judges do not agree.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
2. A rider comes off the track with a mishap and takes longer than the allotted number of laps to fix his mishap.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
3. A rider comes into the pit and takes less than the allotted laps to fix his mishap.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
4. In a championship event, a rider comes into the pit before 5 laps to go, but before his allotted time is up, he is within 5 laps to go.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
5. A rider crashes in the last 5 laps of the race.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
6. It starts to rain during a points race.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
7. A large crash takes down half of the field with 41 1/2 laps to go when there is a sprint at 40 laps to go.
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_____________
_____________
_____________
P A R T
T H R E E :
O F F I C I A T I N G
T R A C K
E V E N T S
28
Chapter
XXVIII. Answers to Questions/Case Studies - Points Race
1. The points sprint is close and the Judges do not agree. The Chief Judge is responsible for deciding any discrepancies in placings for
any point sprint. If photo timing is available, it can be used. However, don't hold up the announcement of results while you are waiting
for a chance to check the film. Announce the results as unofficial and check the film or ask one of your Assistant Judges to check the
film as soon as it is possible without jeopardizing another point sprint. When the film has been checked, make the necessary
adjustment in points (if any) and have the corrected results announced. If digital photo timing is available, then this should not be a
problem
2. A rider comes off the track with a mishap and takes longer than the allotted number of laps to fix his mishap. The rider is placed down
an equal number of laps beyond the allotted number that he remained in the pit. The rider should be informed of how many laps down
he is before he is returned to the race by the pit Referee, and this information should be relayed to the Chief Referee, Chief Judge, and
the Scorers. It will be up to the Chief Referee as to whether or not to allow the rider to continue.
3. A rider comes into the pit and takes less than the allotted laps to fix his mishap. The rider should not be delayed if he wants to return
to the race. The allotted laps are a maximum not a minimum. However, caution should be exercised when placing the rider back into
the race. He should be put into the rear of the group he was with when his mishap occurred. This is very important. The rider must not
be put in ahead of that group and be given an unfair advantage to gain a lap. Likewise, he must not be put in behind that group and
forced to chase to make up lost distance. If you must detain the rider to assure proper placement, make sure he understands why this is
necessary, as the rider may be confused.
4. In a championship event, a rider comes into the pit before five laps to go, but before his allotted time is up, he is within five laps to go.
Once it is five laps to go, there are no more free laps. If the rider can get back out before five laps remain, he may continue and contest
the final sprint. Otherwise, he does not go back out and he retains the points he had and is placed accordingly, without being penalized
for losing laps.
5. A rider crashes in the last 5 laps of the race. This rider is done and retains his points and is placed accordingly without being
penalized for losing laps.
6. It starts to rain during a points race. If a points race is halted (for any reason) after two-thirds of the distance is complete, the results
at the point of the stoppage are final. If it is prior to two-thirds completion, the race will be rerun according to instructions of the Chief
Referee. One option is to rerun the race in its entirety. Another is to restart it and complete the portion remaining when the rain started.
7. A large crash takes down half of the field with 41 1/2 laps to go when there is a sprint at 40 laps to go. The race should be
neutralized. The lap cards will be set so that the field has enough time to set up for the sprint, such as 43 laps to go for a track of 333meters. If the field is not together, try to maintain the relative positions of the groups for the restart.
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9
Chapter
XXIX. Madison
A Madison is a points race between teams of two or three riders, although a 3-person team Madison is extremely rare. The formats and
regulations vary greatly from track to track. With a two-person team, only one of the riders is racing at any given time and the other rider
is on “relief” riding slowly, waiting go back in.
A.
Basic Rules and Procedures
Points and Scoring
Sprints are held similarly to a points race in that the top four riders receive 5, 3, 2, and 1 point. In Championship events, sprints take
place every 20 laps.
Currently, laps up and down are counted as they have been in the past, i.e. teams gain and lose laps. The lap count takes precedence
over the points earned, and there is no 20 points awarded for gaining a lap.
Relieving Partners
Riders switch from the rider on relief to racing by a variety of means, such as pushing, pulling, or merely drawing even. Hand slings are
generally allowed.
Sometimes there are rules concerning when riders may make an exchange. These rules (if any) must be explained clearly to the riders.
Mishaps and Re-teaming
If one of the riders on a team has a mishap, his teammate must immediately rejoin the race and continue without relief until his partner
returns.
If both riders have mishaps, such as if they crash while making an exchange, the team has a number of laps closest to 2000 meters to
get one of them racing again, whereupon the team will continue in the same location they were in when they had the mishap.
No free laps may be taken in the last 2000 meters. If both members of the team suffer mishaps in the final 2000 meters, they are done
and retain the laps and points they had acquired.
If one rider of a team retires, the other rider may keep going. If another team has a rider retire, then the two lone riders can be reteamed, using the lowest lap count and point total from each team.
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P A R T
B.
T H R E E :
O F F I C I A T I N G
T R A C K
E V E N T S
Chief Referee
It is important to discuss the format with the organizer so that you can be sure everyone understands. This is especially true if there are
specific rules about types of exchanges or locations where exchanges are legal. Often tracks have their own ‘local’ rules for the
Madison.
Communication between the officials, especially the Chief Referee/Starter, Chief Judge, and Scorers is very important. It is also
important to establish communications with the Announcer so that he can inform the crowd of standings at various times during the
race. If the Points Race can become confusing, the Madison is doubly so.
Leader on the track, fields, gaining laps and losing laps are determined the same as in a points race. In addition, teams on different laps
working together are handled the same way. Refer to those sections under points races.
Team members must wear matching jerseys. No team may have jerseys that are the same as another team. Special Madison numbers
should be issued. Each member of a team will have the same number.
The rulebook allows the Chief Referee some discretion in determining rules for exchanges between team members. Some of the
options are:
----
C.
Exchanges may take place anywhere on the track or may be restricted.
An exchange is defined as touching, pushing, pulling, or drawing even with a team member. A Chief Referee may allow hand
slings.
Teammates may exchange at their discretion or may be restricted to certain times during the race. For example, an option
might be to not allow exchanges in the last 200-meters before a sprint.
Chief Judge
Communicate with the Chief Referee to ensure you understand the format for the Madison event
you will be working. Once that is established, your judging and scoring responsibilities are the same
as for a points race. Consider scoring the race from outside the track, but make sure each rider has
two numbers and communications are good between the officials.
No matter how confusing it
might get, keep scoring as
best you can. At some point,
things will calm down and
you can regroup.
When the Chief Referee forms a reconstructed team made up of riders from two teams, this team will receive the lower laps and point
total from the two teams. In addition, any ties will go against the reconstructed team.
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30
Chapter
XXX. Questions/Case Studies - Madison
1. Both riders on a team crash while making an exchange.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
2. The teammates do not touch or draw even during an exchange.
3. One rider on a team suffers a mishap.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
4. One rider suffers a mishap and retires.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
5. Team A has taken a lap on the field. Late in the race, Team A is dropped and is a half lap down. Team B leaves the front of the field,
is a half lap up and passes Team A. The race finishes with Team B winning the final sprint, then team A in no man’s land, then the field.
Team B is told that Team A wins the race and they are confused and upset.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
6. Team A has just made an exchange. Rider 1 is racing and Rider 2 is on relief. When Rider 1 and the field are on the homestraight,
Rider one flats. Rider 2 is rolling on the back straight and drops into the field when they catch him.
__________________
_____
_____________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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O F F I C I A T I N G
T R A C K
E V E N T S
31
Chapter
XXXI. Answers to Questions/Case Studies - Madison
1. Both riders on a team crash while making an exchange. The team is entitled to a number of laps closest to 2000 meters to get one of
them racing again. If they cannot, then they are losing laps. Once one of them goes back in, he has to ride the entire time until his
partner returns and he can resume making exchanges.
2. The teammates do not touch or draw even during an exchange. This is called a "wireless" exchange and is covered in the rulebook.
The team may be penalized a lap. If this exchange occurred during a sprint lap, they get no points in the sprint.
3. One rider on a team suffers a mishap. The other rider must get back into the race and continue without relief until his partner returns.
4. One rider suffers a mishap and retires. The other rider may continue by himself or if there is another lone rider, be re-teamed with
him by the Chief Referee.
5. Team A has taken a lap on the field. Late in the race, Team A is dropped and is a half lap down. Team B leaves the front of the field,
is a half lap up and passes Team A. The race finishes with Team B winning the final sprint, then team A in no man’s land, then the field.
Team B is told that Team A wins the race and they are confused and upset. This is actually a very common occurrence in a race where
laps up and down are defined by position with respect to the field. Team A took a lap. They are then a lap up until they lose that lap,
which does not happen until they are dropped and reabsorbed by the field. Team B goes off the front, but never takes a lap. The
peculiarity of this situation is that Team B is actually farther ahead in distance than Team A, but they never received credit for gaining a
lap. Team A is the rightful winner, but most riders in Team B’s position will not understand that.
6. Team A has just made an exchange. Rider 1 is racing and Rider 2 is on relief. When Rider 1 and the field are on the homestraight,
Rider 1 flats. Rider 2 is rolling on the back straight and drops into the field when they catch him. This is perfectly acceptable. Even
though the team technically lost a lap or at least part of one, nobody would expect the relief rider to be able to chase down the field to
continue racing when the racing rider has a flat. As long as the relief rider got back in as quickly as possible, the team is not penalized.
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Chapter
XXXII. Keirin
The Keirin is a race with a maximum of 9 competitors per heat who are paced behind a motorcycle for the first part of the race and then
ride the last part with no pacing. Sprint rules generally apply.
A.
Basic Rules and Procedures
The race is 8 laps on a 250 m track, 6 laps on a 333 m track and 5 laps on a 400 m track. No more than 9 riders may compete in heat.
The event is organized into rounds, semi-finals, and finals. This will depend on the number of entrants. There may also be repechage
rounds.
Starts
The starting positions of the riders are determined by drawing lots. The riders are then placed side by side on the pursuit line with the
sprinters lane being left free. The riders are held and pushed by assistants. The push is to assist the riders in starting. As they cannot
pass the pacer, there is no advantage gained. This would be a good point to mention that this procedure is in direct conflict with the
published UCI and USCF rules as of this writing. The procedures for keirin have changed much in the last ten years, but the rules for
the starting procedure have not been rewritten. Even the UCI rulebook says the holders cannot push, but every starter at an
international race lets the holders push. This subject is currently being examined by the UCI, but the authors believe the UCI will
continue to allow pushing.
The pacer usually circles slowly around the track while the riders are lined up or waits on the back straight for a signal from the starter.
The start is given when the pacer approaches the pursuit line in the sprinters lane. The rider who drew number one and is placed on
the inside, must immediately go to the pacer and stay there for at least the first lap, unless another rider assumes the responsibility. If
the obligated rider does not go immediately to the motor, the starter stops the race and the rider is eliminated. The rider who drew
number 2 leads after the restart.
Pacing
The pacer rides on the measurement line, starting at 15 mph and gradually increases speed to 28 mph for women and 31 mph for men.
He leaves the track when ordered to do so by the starter, in principle 600-700 meters before the finish. This is two and a half laps on a
250-meter track and three laps on a 333-meter track.
If the leading edge of the front wheel of any rider's bicycle draws even with the back edge of the pacer’s rear wheel while the pacer is
still on the track, the race should be stopped and the rider shall be disqualified.
Once the pacer leaves the track, sprint rules apply to the conduct of the riders. The race is normally not stopped once the pacer leaves
the track, with the final decision on restarts belonging to the Chief Referee.
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P A R T
B.
T H R E E :
O F F I C I A T I N G
T R A C K
E V E N T S
Chief Referee
The Chief Referee and organizer will decide the format for the event. Championship Keirin usually has a qualifying round, repechages,
a semi-final, and a final.
Most of the decisions during the race will be the same as for the sprint event, although with up to 9 riders on the track, there can be
possibilities that are more unusual. The biggest decisions will come from incidents occurring while the pacer is still on the track. While
stuck behind the pacer, the riders cannot really use their speed to change their position. The race is tactical and there is often a lot of
bumping going on.
If a crash occurs, you will have to decide whether to stop the event or not. Usually this would only happen if the pacer were going to
come around again and encounter riders still on the track.
If a rider lets his front wheel pass the backmost part of the pacer’s rear wheel, he is disqualified. The Keirin is refereed very strictly on
this point. Sometimes a rider will attempt to time a move over the top so that he launches an attack the moment the pacer moves off the
track. You will have to judge whether he passed the pacer’s rear wheel before the pacer moved down.
C.
Starter
The Starter is more involved in the action than any other official in a Keirin is. First, the draw is more interesting, as there can be up to 9
people in a heat. Tongue depressors are usually used for the draw instead of golf balls just because there would be so many of them.
The standard way is to hold the tongue depressors so that your hand covers their numbers. Once the riders have drawn one, they keep
it until they are lined up. The Starter then collects them as he checks them on the line.
Starts
With the first heat in the first round, you must establish the procedures and tolerance that you will accept. Make sure the inside rider is
just above the sprinter’s line and that there is about a meter between riders. The riders provide their own holders. The holders usually
hold from the side and give the riders a small push at the start.
Communicate with the pacer regarding when the start will be. There are a couple of good ways to do this. Sometimes the pacer circles
the track continuously, in which case it is important to keep the sprinters lane clear at all times. You tell the pacer via radio or hand
signals that you will be starting the next time he passes. Another way that works with a standard motorcycle is to have the pacer sitting
on the back straight waiting for the signal to start moving.
Riders have a tendency to want to go early so that they have an easier time getting up to speed to get to the pacer. You have some
leeway in when you fire the gun. It works best to err on the side of starting the riders later earlier in the rounds and then firing it earlier
and earlier as the rounds progress. This will match what the riders are doing anyway, as they start anticipating. If you do it the other
way, you will have many false starts.
The rider who drew number 1 must voluntarily go to the pacer. Sometimes that rider will attempt to get another rider to do so instead. If
another rider volunteers, then it becomes his responsibility, but if not, it is still the number 1 rider’s responsibility. You should stop the
race immediately the first time you note that the obligated rider does not willingly go to the pacer. The No. 1 rider should be behind the
pacer coming out of turn two.
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M A N U A L
Removing the Pacer
It is the Starter’s job to tell the pacer when to come off the track, which happens with 600-700 meters to go in the race. This works well
if you have communications via radio to the pacer. If you do not, you will have to tell him ahead of time where to come off.
As the Chief Referee is going to judge if a rider passes the pacer or not, the Starter has judgment calls to make if a rider is starting an
attack over the top at about the time the pacer is going to leave. The only way to be fair is to know ahead of time where you plan to tell
the pacer to come off the track.
Stoppages
Few things stop a Keirin heat once it gets going. One is if the obligated rider does not go to the pacer and stay there for a lap. Another
would be a crash that will become a safety issue as riders are obstructing the track surface.
If a rider passes the pacer before the pacer comes off the track, the event is stopped.
Quick Fact Check
1. How many laps is a Keirin race on a 250 meter track?
2. When will the pacer come off the track on a 250 m track?
3. What happens if a rider passes the pacer before it comes off the track?
4. When will the rider who draws number 2 be obligated to take a position behind the
pacer?
5. Who decides when the pacer should come off the track?
6. Who decides if a rider has passed the pacer?
1. 8 laps. 2. With about 2 and a half laps to go 3. He is disqualified. 4. If the race is stopped because the rider who
drew number one failed to go to the pacer, the number 2 rider will become the obligated rider in the restart. 5. The
Starter. 6. The Chief Referee
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E V E N T S
33
Chapter
XXXIII. Questions/Case Studies - Keirin
1. The rider who drew number 1 starts slowly. He is passed by another rider who then proceeds to go to the back of the pacer.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
2. The rider who drew number 1 starts slowly, is passed by the number 2 rider who then proceeds to go to the back of the pacer. On the
back straight on the first lap, the number 2 rider then slows down and now nobody is riding with the pacer.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
3. The first lap of the race proceeds normally. After the first lap is over, the rider directly behind the pacer slows down. Nobody passes
him, and now nobody is riding with the pacer.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
4. In an 8 rider heat, two riders crash on the second lap, and are completely off the riding surface.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
5. In an 8 rider semi-final with 4 to qualify, 4 riders crash just after the pacer comes off the track and none of them are blocking the
riding surface.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
6. With 1000 meters to go, the inexperienced pacer driver accelerates too quickly and drops the entire group of 9 racers.
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
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Chapter
XXXIV. Answers to Questions/Case Studies – Keirin
1. The rider who drew number 1 starts slowly. He is passed by another rider who then proceeds to go to the back of the pacer. This is
acceptable, as the passing rider has now accepted the responsibility of the No. 1 rider and must be behind the pacer for the first lap.
2. The rider who drew number 1 starts slowly, is passed by the number 2 rider who then proceeds to go to the back of the pacer. On the
back straight on the first lap, the number 2 rider then slows down and now nobody is riding with the pacer. The race is stopped and the
rider who went to the pacer initially is disqualified. The race is restarted in the same order as the initial start without the offending rider.
3. The first lap of the race proceeds normally. After the first lap is over, the rider directly behind the pacer slows down. Nobody passes
him, and now nobody is riding with the pacer. This situation is not covered in the rules. The Keirin is a race that is initially paced;
therefore, the riders should be behind the motor. Give the riders a little bit of time to get back to the pacer, as it is likely someone will
get nervous and go to the pacer. If not, stop the race and restart it without penalty.
4. In an 8 rider heat, two riders crash on the second lap, and are completely off the riding surface. No action is taken; the race is
allowed to continue. The only exception would be if another rider caused the crash. Internationally, the judge/referee has the authority
to stop a race when this happens.
5. In an 8 rider semi-final with 4 to qualify, 4 riders crash just after the pacer comes off the track and none of them are blocking the
riding surface. No action is taken; the race is allowed to continue. The only exception would be if another rider caused the crash. In
this case, the race could be stopped and the rider causing the crash would be eliminated.
6. With 1000 meters to go, the inexperienced pacer driver accelerates too quickly and drops the entire group of 9 racers. Stop the race
and restart it without penalty in the same order as the initial draw.
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